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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24503827">I promise</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Yogami/pseuds/Yogami'>Yogami</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Naruto</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>???? - Freeform, Adventure, Angst, F/M, Friends with other jinchurikis, Friendship, How Do I Tag, I feel like these tags are spoilers, Naruto being friends with kurama, Romance, Smart Uzumaki Naruto, Trust Issues, prodigy i guess?, wtf do i put here</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-06-02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 06:14:01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>76,195</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24503827</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Yogami/pseuds/Yogami</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Who would have thought that a promise to an oversized furball would lead him to be standing face to face with the god of death? Not Naruto, that's for sure.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Fuu of Takigakure/Uzumaki Naruto</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>72</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. I promise</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Hey, so I honestly don't know how this will turn out. I originally planned on posting only on Fanfiction.net, but people have advised me to post it on here as well. The tutorials were't really helpful. You can find this story on ff.net with the same title and username.</p>
<p>But in any case, this is my very first story. Please do let me know what you think!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Chapter 1</p>
<p>"Report."</p>
<p>"Sir!" The ANBU with the crude markings of a bear stood at attention in front of his leader. "All evacuated civilians have been moved to temporary locations. Tenzō is working overtime to provide shelters with the help of several proficient doton wielders. ANBU squad Beta and Delta are patrolling the borders in case opposing villages are trying to infiltrate during the confusion. We have also received word from Jiraiya-sama that said his ETA should be about a week. Nothing yet from Tsunade-sama."</p>
<p>"Thank you Bear, you may return to your squad." Bear saluted once more before vanishing in a burst of speed. Turning his head to his window, Hiruzen Sarutobi cast weary eyes to his ruined village. More than 60% of Konoha had been turned to rubble during the mysterious attack of the nine tailed fox. Peering down at the hospital chart, over 100 Jōnin had perished, along with 243 Chūnin and 436 Genin. He cringed when his eyes landed on the four-digit number that displayed the civilian casualties.</p>
<p>Truly, this was a disastrous day for Konoha. Two days had passed, and the village was still in a state of chaos. He'd been doing his best to keep everything as quiet as possible to not alert the other villages of their vulnerable position, but news would eventually break out. Konoha will need to be on its feet by then. Sometimes it was hard to believe that their existed creatures powerful enough to reduce a strong and proud village to ashes.</p>
<p>A high-pitched wail startled him out of his thoughts and drew his eyes to the chair in his office that now held a small cradle. Getting up from his seat and ignoring the creaking of his aged bones, the third Hokage hurried over to said cradle and carefully picked up the newborn from within.</p>
<p>"Hush now, Naruto, everything is alright." He gently rocked the blond baby back and forth as he kept crying. "What's the matter, are you hungry?" Reaching into the cradle, he pulled out a baby bottle and began feeding Naruto, who was only too happy to drink from it. Hiruzen sadly watched the baby that looked so much like Minato.</p>
<p>Kushina and Minato would have been the best parents for this baby, he was sure. They both looked absolutely giddy at the prospect of raising this child, so much so that they'd already started buying toys and clothes for him. But instead of being a day for celebration, it was now a day for grieving.</p>
<p>"You've been dealt a pretty bad hand, haven't you…" Now finished with his meal Naruto giggled softly before soon falling back asleep under Hiruzen's gentle rocking. God, he was bad at this. He never was any good at taking care of toddlers. His wife, Biwako, was the maternal one. 'Biwako…' His heart clenched painfully as he closed his eyes at the thought of his now late wife. Her body had been found at the remote location that Kushina gave birth in with mysterious stab wounds.</p>
<p>Truly a sad day for Konoha.</p>
<p>A knock on the door brought him back to reality. "Enter" he said softly, trying not to jostle the babe in his arms.</p>
<p>The door opened and a familiar mop of lopsided grey hair walked in, with the face of a snarling dog that usually came with the hair. "Ah, Dog." Hiruzen gently set Naruto into his cradle and walked over to his desk, grunting softly as he sat back down. "I've been expecting you."</p>
<p>Dog's masked face seemed to linger on the cradle for a moment before he focused on his leader, saluting by force of habit. "Hokage-sama."</p>
<p>"Please, Kakashi. Remove your mask." Kakashi reached up and unclipped his mask from his face revealing the single bloodshot eye that wasn't covered by his village's headband. It seemed Hiruzen wasn't the only one to not have been getting any sleep. Kakashi once more looked back at the cradle. Reaching into his drawer, he searched around in it for a few seconds before taking out his pipe, filling it with tobacco as he let the young teen gather his thoughts.</p>
<p>"So…This is sensei's child, huh?" He walked a bit closer to the cradle. "He already looks so much like him."</p>
<p>"Indeed." All was silent save for the noise of tobacco being stuffed inside the wooden pipe. With a snap of his fingers, the pipe was lit and brought to the lips of the old Hokage.</p>
<p>"What will happen to him?" The young prodigy asked without taking his eyes off the whiskered baby.</p>
<p>Hiruzen inhaled deeply before blowing out a small cloud of smoke. "He will be placed in the orphanage until he is of age to take care of himself."</p>
<p>Kakashi finally tore his eyes away from Naruto. "Hokage-sama, if I may-"</p>
<p>"I know what you are about to ask Kakashi, and the answer is no." He puffed once more on his pipe to settle his nerves and continued, ignoring the teen's irritated eye. "You are much too young to be taking care of a child, and are not in the right state of mind. As you are now, you would not be fit to be taking care of a baby. Not only that, Konoha needs you now more than ever. You are the squad captain of ANBU's primary team. We need you to take missions to acquire funds that this village so desperately needs right now.</p>
<p>Kakashi clenched his fists in frustration. "Do you really believe that he will be well treated in an orphanage? You and I both know what he is, what he contains. You know how people will react once they learn of it as well." Kakashi wasn't wrong, Hiruzen knew that. Mere moments after his birth, little Naruto had the greatest burden placed upon him. The massive monstrosity that ravaged the village was now sealed away into the belly of the baby.</p>
<p>"It's true, he will most likely be mistreated. The life of a Jinchuriki is never an easy one, BUT" he raised his voice slightly when he saw Kakashi about to interject. "Rest assured that I will have my most trusted people taking care of him."</p>
<p>Kakashi once more turned his gaze to the sleeping baby. He was only 14 years old himself. He knew better than anyone that he was no father material for a baby. But still, this did not feel right. "And what of Jiraiya-sama?"</p>
<p>"On his way." Was the short reply. "Though he will not be able to take care of Naruto either, Kakashi. Much like you, Jiraiya has his spy network to take care of. Please trust me when I tell you that Naruto will remain safe. I will make sure of it."</p>
<p>The young teen stood unmoving for a few moments before slowly reaching into his ANBU pants pocket and pulling out a small object. Leaning down, he placed the object in the cradle next to the sleeping baby and stood back up, turning back around to face his leader who was now looking at him questioningly.</p>
<p>"It's a toy that sensei bought for Naruto a few weeks ago." The Hokage's eyes turned sad as he was reminded of Minato's eagerness to be a father. "I see." Kakashi observed the old Sarutobi. Shoulders tense, posture stiff, vacant eyes, index finger repeatedly tapping on his desk. The trail of smoke coming from his pipe was being gently guided out to the open window, most likely from a small Fūton manipulation so as not to disturb the sleeping baby. Reaching down to his belt, he took his mask and clipped it back onto his face.</p>
<p>"At your command, Hokage-sama." The aged Hokage stood up once more and turned to face his window, watching his ninja running about to take care of errands. The afternoon sunlight bathed the village in a warm orange glow. He would've smiled at the sight were it not for the ruins everywhere. "You are dismissed, Dog." Dog saluted and disappeared in barely a whisper. Hiruzen observed his village for a few more seconds before looking once more at the sleeping baby, who was now clutching onto the wooden toy.</p>
<p>"Life won't be easy, Naruto." He closed his eyes as he could feel the weight of the world on his shoulders once more. He really was getting too old for this position. "But I believe that you will be able to rise at the face of adversity."</p>
<p>The Sandaime Hokage sat back down at his desk and began the long and tedious task of sorting through his paperwork.</p><hr/>
<p>"The…The li-little….dog….fooollowed….his…mast…uh….mast-ter…" Blue eyes squinted in slight frustration as they tried to read the words written in the children's book. Why was this so hard!? All the other kids in the orphanage knew how to read this segment. But this page featured a few words that the young boy didn't recognize. He didn't mind too much, though. This was his favorite spot in the orphanage, behind one of the pillars that supported the housing for him and all the other orphans. Sitting down on the cool grass, fresh from morning dew and away from everyone else, listening to the sound of nature as the morning sun warmed up his body, it almost made him forget about everything else in the world.</p>
<p>Frowning down at the book, the four-year-old attempted to read the page once more. One more try! He knew he could do it. Hopefully he could finish this by lunch time.</p>
<p>"Hey, brat!" The blond looked up, blinking a few times when the sunlight hit his eyeballs as two older kids walked up to him. It seemed he'd been found again. He'd have to find a new spot now. The taller of the two, Keta, smiled down mockingly at the shorter boy. "So this is where you've been hiding this whole time, huh?" Glancing down at the object in the whiskered boy's hands, Keta's smile turned smug. "You're still not done with this page? We've all finished this one yesterday. You're pretty hopeless you know that?"</p>
<p>Those words hurt. He knew it was taking him longer than the others. But it's not like it was his fault or anything. Despite that, he tried his best to smile at the older boy. He'd heard the caretaker tell one of the other kids that smiling was a good way of cheering yourself up if you ever felt sad, plus, it made people like you more. "It's not my fault…The matron didn't help me at all."</p>
<p>"Suzu-san says it's because you're a little nuisance!" The other boy, 'Tori', if he recalled correctly, shot back. Suzu was the orphanage's nurse, and like every other adult in this place, their eyes held nothing but contempt for him. "She says that she wishes that you weren't in this orphanage because you're nothing but trouble. If you ask me, they must of made a mistake bringing you here."</p>
<p>"It's 'must have'."</p>
<p>Tori narrowed his eyes. "What?"</p>
<p>Naruto kept smiling politely. "It's 'must have', not 'must of'."</p>
<p>Tori grit his teeth together in anger and took a step forward. "You think you're clever you little monster?"</p>
<p>The smile on Naruto's face dropped. "I'm not a monster…"</p>
<p>"The hell you aren't!" Tori slapped the book out of Naruto's hand and grabbed onto his collar. "I'll show you!"</p>
<p>"What's going on here!?" All heads turned towards the new voice as Kimi, the matron of the orphanage rounded on them. She must've heard Keta and Tori's yelling. No one usually ventures around this area so far away from everyone else.</p>
<p>"Matron!" Keta exclaimed and pointed an accusatory finger at the shorter blond. "Naruto insulted Tori just because he wanted to help him with his reading!"</p>
<p>The Matron turned furious eyes towards a now scared Naruto. "You!" she marched towards Naruto and roughly grabbed him by the wrist. "What have I told you about bothering the other kids!?"</p>
<p>"But I didn't-"</p>
<p>"Quiet! I don't want to hear anything out of you!" She dragged him out of the courtyard and back into the hallway that led into his room. "You stay in there and think about what you've done. I don't want to see your face again for the rest of the day!" She shoved Naruto into his room and slammed the door closed as the small child stumbled in. Hearing the sound of a lock being turned from the outside, Naruto knew he could do nothing but comply.</p>
<p>The matron was wrong. Smiling hadn't worked that time.</p>
<p>Sighing as he flopped down onto his old mattress, Naruto felt around under his pillow and pulled out his treasure. A small wooden drum on a handle with two little beads attached on either side. He couldn't remember where he got it from, though it's been with him since the very beginning. He used his index and thumb to spin it back and forth from side to side and let the quiet drumming noise sooth him down. Shutting his eyes, he did his best to ignore his rumbling stomach.</p>
<p>This was nothing new. Things had been like this ever since he's been here. The adults would look at him coldly and punish him for no reason and the kids would follow along, blindly mimicking the grown-ups. No one told him why that was the case though. Where were his parents? Why was he treated so differently? What could he have possibly done that the adult thought was so horrible that they'd treat him like an outcast? So many questions, and so little answers.</p>
<p>He wanted to see the outside world. Explore what was beyond the brick walls that made up the perimeter of the building. He wanted to explore the trees that he could see in the distance. He wanted to see the markets that he could hear during the day when everything was quiet. He wanted a place where he could feel safe. Away from those cold eyes and harsh words.</p>
<p>"This place sucks."</p>
<p>Hopefully, tomorrow will be a better day.</p><hr/>
<p>Turns out he didn't have to wait that long.</p>
<p>It hadn't taken much for the matron to finally snap. He was once more unfairly judged, and this time, Naruto hadn't wanted to take it quietly. He was so sick of smiling and pretending that everything was alright. For the first time, he'd had yelled back at her, shouting out his innocence and trying to make her understand. He thought that maybe if he tried to stand up for himself, they would finally leave him be.</p>
<p>They didn't.</p>
<p>The whiskered boy stared back in the distance at the closed gates of the orphanage. Never in his wildest dreams did he think that they would throw him out to take care of himself. He was just glad that he'd kept his precious toy in his pocket that day.</p>
<p>Turning his eyes towards the dirt road ahead of him, he frowned in uncertainty at the village that was laid out with twists and turns like some kind of rural maze.</p>
<p>"Now what?"</p>
<p>His feet began to take him forward, step by short step. He considered that question for a few moments. He obviously couldn't go back to the orphanage, and he didn't have any money. He could forage his own food, but he had no idea how to do that. Perhaps he could find a book on it? His reading skills had improved, so it shouldn't be a problem anymore. He was free now after all.</p>
<p>That sudden thought made him stop short. He was free! A toothy grin made its way to his face as he began to laugh softly to himself, which soon turned into a full-blown laugh of joy. His feet began to move again before he was even aware of it. Only this time it was much faster. He was running! And there were no pesky walls in his way that forced him to slow down, no angry looks that made him shy away. He kept running, the wind whipping at his face in a way he'd never felt before. He could feel his heart pumping as he sprinted down the dirt road and into the village.</p>
<p>This was great. This was awesome! He was finally free from this orphanage, and he hoped that he would never see it again. He was tired of seeing the faces of those old caretakers. The faces of new people would be a refreshing change. He was sure of it.</p><hr/>
<p>The villagers sucked!</p>
<p>He didn't know why that was, but people glared at him here as well, and whispers followed him around wherever he went. At first, people were curious at the sight of a blond child running around with clothes that were obviously several sizes too big for him. But one look at the whisker marks made them realise just who that blond child was.</p>
<p>"Hey, isn't that…?"</p>
<p>"Yeah, it's that boy."</p>
<p>"I was wondering where he'd been all this time."</p>
<p>"Maybe he was hiding?"</p>
<p>"Tch, he should've just stayed hidden if you ask me."</p>
<p>"Why does Sandaime-sama even let him stay here…I mean, he contains the-"</p>
<p>"Quiet! We're not allowed to talk about that."</p>
<p>The young Jinchūriki clenched his little fists and did his best to ignore the people around him. 'Right now, I need to focus on getting something to eat…'</p>
<p>If only it were that easy.</p><hr/>
<p>He waited. Holding his breath and eyes focused on his prize, like a hawk eyeing its prey. He'd been waiting for far too long for this to fail. He had one shot, and he had to make it count. Narrowing his eyes, he saw the guardian of his interest move away slightly as they tended to another customer. 'Now!'</p>
<p>A blond blur suddenly shot forward and snatched the red apple right off the fruit rack before quickly rounding the corner and disappearing.</p>
<p>"What the- Hey! Get back here!" The portly merchant attempted to run after the little boy but he was just too fast for him. Bending down and resting his hands on his knee in an attempt to catch his breath. The merchant raised his fist angrily at the disappearing blur in the distance. "You better not come back here!"</p>
<p>'Hehehe, sucker.' Naruto thought to himself victoriously as he clutched the apple close to his chest, making his way through the winding roads of the shopping district. Finally reaching his destination, he sat down against the wall of a back alley, where he usually stayed and slept.</p>
<p>He grinned as he brushed the strands of hair out of his eyes. It had gotten pretty long during those 4 months of living in the streets, reaching nearly up to his shoulders. The now-5-year-old looked down at his hand holding the apple and promptly devoured it in mere seconds.</p>
<p>"Ah, that hit the spot!" He smiled and patted his stomach in satisfaction. Standing up, the blond boy peeked over the corner, looking left and right for any signs of anyone. After finding nothing and pocketing his wooden toy, Naruto made his way out of his alley and onto the main streets of Konoha. This was his routine. In the morning he'd steal whatever food he could find, and after he was done enjoying his spoils, he would step out of hiding and explore the village.</p>
<p>A drop of cold water landing on his nose startled him. Looking up, he saw that the scorching hot midday sun had quickly been hidden behind a sea of gray clouds. Another drop fell on his face, followed by another, and another, until the downpour increased in intensity, the rain bucketing down onto the unsuspecting villagers and merchants.</p>
<p>Naruto smiled and looked at the sky through squinted eyes as he let the heavy rainfall wash his face. He didn't move from his position, even when the villagers around him shrieked and ran for cover, choosing to stretch his arms out on either side of him as if welcoming back an old friend.</p>
<p>He didn't mind the rain.</p><hr/>
<p>Dog nodded as the new recruit, Weasel, body flickered out of ANBU headquarters once their mission was finally complete. They had finally come home after a 5 month long mission in the borders of Iwa. The Hokage suspected that that old fool Ōnoki would attempt to take advantage of Konoha's weakened state and send a battalion into the hidden leaves. Thankfully it seemed that Iwa was still weary of Konoha after so many great wars. The land of fire may have been weakened, but it was still one of one of the mightiest great nations.</p>
<p>Sighing, his thoughts drifted back to their new recruits, weasel. His fighting style and use of Genjutsu led him to believe that he was an Uchiha. And if his size was anything to go by, a very young Uchiha. He didn't have anything against the boy, quite the opposite in fact. His skills were nothing to scoff at, and he was extremely mature for his age, following orders and being polite to everyone. But he was just too damn young, dammit. They weren't in war times anymore, just what was Hokage-sama thinking?</p>
<p>Sealing his ANBU gear away, Kakashi decided to step out for a walk, heedless of the pouring rain outside. He was ANBU, no amount of rain was about to scare him off.</p>
<p>The rain was a nice change from the harsh heat of Iwa, the sun beating down onto the earth until it turned red. He debated taking his favourite novel out, but decided against it. He wouldn't want the risk of his precious book getting soaked.</p>
<p>His ears perked up as he could hear the humming of a young boy. Strange, children would normally run for cover when it was raining so hard. Looking ahead, he saw a small mop of shaggy blond hair easily making his way through the rain. It seemed that this child didn't care about it either.</p>
<p>'That hair colour…Almost looks like sensei's.' Kakashi chuckled to himself. There weren't a lot of people wearing this shade of blond around here. Actually, the last time he saw this shade was when he visited sensei's offspring in his cradle a few years ago.</p>
<p>'But that can't be Naruto, because Naruto is at…' He trailed off when said boy finally raised his head and brushed wet locks to the side, revealing his whisker marks.</p>
<p>'SON OF A-'</p><hr/>
<p>
  <em>
    <strong>BANG!</strong>
  </em>
</p>
<p>"HAVE YOU GONE COMPLETELY INSANE!?"</p>
<p>The Sandaime Hokage didn't even bother looking up from his paperwork. "Good evening Kakashi, how nice of you to visit, you may enter." He said in a sarcastic tone.</p>
<p>"Don't give me that bullshit!" Kakashi seethed. "You promised me that you would keep Naruto safe in the orphanage!"</p>
<p>The Hokage raised his head and observed the ANBU commander for a few moments. "And I did." He started slowly. "Naruto is being taken care of by my best people."</p>
<p>"Then who the hell was that blond homeless kid with whisker marks that I just saw, Sandaime?"</p>
<p>The temperature in the office seemed to drop several degrees. "…I beg your pardon?"</p>
<p>"Naruto isn't in the orphanage." Kakashi narrowed his eye at the older man. "He's all by himself near the meat market in the main square. You mean to tell me that you didn't know that?"</p>
<p>The Professor stood up, face full of fury and eyes frigid. "Bear!" The bulky man that was known as Bear appeared, kneeling in front of his lord in an instant. "Bring Kimi Saze to my office. Make sure she is restrained!" The ANBU nodded and disappeared. "Kakashi, take me to Naruto right now." Kakashi frowned. He wasn't done chewing out the Third, not even close. But right now, getting to Naruto was more important. "Right."</p>
<p>The Third followed Kakashi through the rooftops at breakneck speed, each step they took sending splashes from the force of their jumps. It seemed that while he wasn't looking, the young Hatake had chosen to don his ANBU mask once more.</p>
<p>After what seemed like an eternity, they finally arrived in the shopping market, which was empty save for a small figure that was currently facing away from them, wearing nothing but a simple t-shirt and shorts under the pouring rain. The boy was walking along the edge of a food stand, arms out on either side of him to balance himself and humming a soft melody to himself.</p>
<p>Dog remained silent as Hiruzen stepped forward and called out to the boy. "Naruto!"</p>
<p>The small figure stopped humming and turned his head around. Pushing his wet hair out of his face, he observed the two newcomers that just disturbed his peace.</p>
<p>"…Who are you, old man?"</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>It's 2am, I'm fucking tired.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>
    <em>Splash!</em>
  </strong>
</p>
<p>Hiruzen wondered how he had let things turn out the way they had.</p>
<p>
  <strong>
    <em>Splash!</em>
  </strong>
</p>
<p>He was supposed to protect Naruto from a life or torment. Instead what had happened? Naruto was forced out of the orphanage and became homeless, having had to resort to stealing for survival. What a joke. How could he ever face Minato in the afterlife now?</p>
<p>
  <strong>
    <em>Splash!</em>
  </strong>
</p>
<p>Though he supposed that was a moot point, considering Minato was in the belly of the Grim Reaper himself. But even the Yellow Flash didn't scare him as much as Kushina Uzumaki. Oh, that woman was a fierce one. There was a good reason why she was dubbed the "Red Hot Habanero" in the academy.</p>
<p>
  <strong>
    <em>Splash!</em>
  </strong>
</p>
<p>Speaking of women, The Professor was shocked to discover what Kimi had done to Naruto. Kimi was someone that he once trusted with his life. He'd known her ever since the second shinobi war. She was a field medic, and once the war was over, she resigned as a ninja and opened an orphanage on the outskirts of the village. She took care of Asuma when he was little for god's sake! He didn't think she had it in her to hate an innocent boy.</p>
<p>
  <strong>
    <em>Splash!</em>
  </strong>
</p>
<p>Kimi had lost her husband during the rampage of the nine tails. In hindsight, perhaps it wasn't such a good idea to have her take care of Naruto. But still, she was a former ninja. He expected better from her. Ninja usually understood that when a tailed beast was properly sealed into a vessel, said vessel remained who they were and was in no way influenced by the demon within. They were two separate entities sharing the same space.</p>
<p>What a mess this has turned into.</p>
<p>
  <strong>
    <em>Splash!</em>
  </strong>
</p>
<p>"Naruto."</p>
<p>Turning around, he looked at Naruto who had jumped into yet another puddle in mild irritation. For his part, Naruto silently stared back at Sarutobi. What? He wasn't allowed to have his fun now? That was kind of unfair.</p>
<p>Hiruzen sighed and turned back around, resuming his walk. He and Dog had found Naruto by himself near the food market. His first instinct, the one that raised children and taught students, was to make sure that Naruto was alright. But the young boy seemed adamant to remain out of reach. Surviving on his own for this long must have made the poor child wary of human contact.</p>
<p>Sarutobi had asked Naruto to follow him to the Hokage tower, which of course Naruto decided to ignore and make a run for it. After Dog had caught the elusive child once more, Hiruzen had to explain to him who he was. Naruto may have been a bit behind in his general history knowledge, but even he knew what a Hokage was. He was still staying well out of his reach, however. Dog had left after that, confirming that Naruto was safe once more. Which now brings us back to the present, with an old man walking through the rain and a child following several paces behind.</p>
<p>"How long have you been living on the street, Naruto?"</p>
<p>Naruto looked up at the wizened Hokage. "I forget. How'd you know my name?"</p>
<p>"I've known you since you were a newborn. Now, do you happen to know why Kimi decided to throw you out?"</p>
<p>"'Cuz she sucks." A pause "Does that mean you know my parents?"</p>
<p>Hiruzen nearly tripped on his own footing. What a perceptive boy. "No Naruto, I don't know who your parents are."</p>
<p>"Oh." The young boy went back to kicking the pebble he'd found on the ground.</p>
<p>Hiruzen sighed once more. He supposed that was all he could get out of him for now.</p>
<hr/>
<p>It only took five more minutes for them to arrive to the Hokage tower and after making their way inside, Hiruzen noticed a change in Naruto's behavior. Fist clenched at his sides, eyes nervously darting this way and that, he looked like a cornered animal.</p>
<p>"What's the matter?"</p>
<p>"It's nothin'." It wasn't nothing. Months of staying outside had forced survival instincts into the blond boy. He did not like this place. The corridor leading to the office was an opened one-way area with no windows for emergency exits. And there were pictures hanging on the walls. God, why were there so many pictures!? He always hated those. He swore he saw a painting come to life once.</p>
<p>Sarutobi frowned but decided to let it go for now. He led the boy inside his office, closing the door behind them and choosing to ignore the way Naruto's eyes immediately darted to the closed window.</p>
<p>"Naruto, please take a seat. Some dry clothes will be brought in for you shortly."</p>
<p>Naruto turned towards the older man. "I don't want new clothes."</p>
<p>"You'll catch hypothermia if you keep those on."</p>
<p>The boy tilted his head. "Hyper-what?"</p>
<p>Hiruzen sighed. "You will catch a cold, Naruto"</p>
<p>"But these are my clothes."</p>
<p>"I know, and they will be returned to you. But for now, I don't want you to get my sofa wet."</p>
<p>Naruto didn't say anything and chose to stand next to the window.</p>
<p>"When was the last time you cut your hair?"</p>
<p>"I forget."</p>
<p>Hiruzen shook his head tiredly. He didn't know what he expected talking to a 5-year-old boy.</p>
<hr/>
<p>After fresh dry clothes had been brought in for Naruto and Hiruzen had used some quick fire manipulation to dry his clothes, the Hokage's secretary, Eri, poked her head inside the office. "Hokage-sama, Kimi is still in the waiting room. What should we do with her?"</p>
<p>"Bring her in please. Naruto, wait outside for a few minutes if you will. And do not run off. Eri, keep an eye on him."</p>
<p>Eri nodded as Naruto begrudgingly made his way back into the 'hallway from hell'</p>
<p>
  <strong>5 minutes later…</strong>
</p>
<p>Naruto glanced up from his spot in the hallway and saw the orphanage matron coming out of the office, hands bound behind her back with an ANBU escorting her. He followed her retreating back with his eyes for a few seconds before entering the office once more when he heard his name being called.</p>
<p>"Where is the matron going?"</p>
<p>"She will be charged for her crime. Expelling a child out of an orphanage without the Hokage's jurisdiction is a serious offence."</p>
<p>Naruto frowned. He didn't understand half of those words, but as long as she was far away from him then he didn't care.</p>
<p>"Naruto." The young boy looked up at the old man again.</p>
<p>"Kimi told me that she expelled you 4 months ago, coming on 5 months now. Why did you stay out for so long? Why didn't you come here to the Hokage tower?"</p>
<p>He blinked in confusion. "I didn't know what that was."</p>
<p>"You could've asked someone. I know the villagers aren't very friendly, but the patrolling shinobi would have helped you."</p>
<p>Naruto frowned at that. "I can't tell who's good or bad. I just avoided everyone and stayed hidden."</p>
<p>Hiruzen sighed. "I will arrange to have a home set up for you." He grabbed a stack of paper from his desk and began sorting through them. "It will most likely be ready by tomorrow morning. So until then, you may stay here."</p>
<p>The Jinchuriki's eyes widened. "A…A house?" He asked, surprised. "Where?"</p>
<p>"That depends entirely on what is available, my boy."</p>
<p>He was getting a house? Just like that? He could hardly believe it. The old man <em>was</em> the Hokage, so he supposed it shouldn't be too hard for him to arrange something like that. But still, he doubted that this old man would just do that without expecting anything in return. Another thought crossed his mind as he sat down on the sofa.</p>
<p>"Don't people that live in houses have to pay for things? Like food and stuff?"</p>
<p>"Don't you worry about that; I will come by every now and then to give you a monthly stipend until you are old enough to enroll as a Shinobi." He gave a pointed look at Naruto. "You do want to become a ninja, do you not?"</p>
<p>"I, uh…I think so."</p>
<p>"Splendid." The third Hokage stood up and picked up the pillow and blanket that Eri had left. "It's getting pretty late, so why don't you go ahead and get some rest?" He placed the blanket and pillow next to the blond boy and went back to his desk. "Tomorrow morning, we'll proceed with moving you into your new home."</p>
<p>Naruto stared at the pillow for a few second. He'd never had one of those before. The orphanage didn't give him one. "Okay…" Laying down on the couch, the Jinchuriki rested his head on the pillow and pulled the blanket over his head.</p>
<p>It didn't take him long to fall asleep.</p>
<hr/>
<p>When Hiruzen came back into his office at 6am, he found the boy already awake, perched on his windowsill that overlooked the village and enjoying the morning sun. "Naruto, get down from there. You'll fall off."</p>
<p>Said boy glanced back at the old man and hopped off, closing the window behind him. "Are we going to the new house now?"</p>
<p>The Hokage couldn't help but smile at the boy's eagerness. "The papers are almost finished, so please, be patient for a few more minutes." He chuckled lightly at the boy's despondent look and walked over to his desk, already getting started on the stack of paperwork.</p>
<p>15 minutes later, the aged kage noticed Naruto's head suddenly turning towards the door and staring at in intently. After a few seconds, the door opened and Eri popped her head in. "Hokage-sama, the paperwork from last night is done."</p>
<p>'Interesting,' The old monkey summoner thought to himself as he observed Naruto. "Thank you Eri. Naruto, we are leaving now. Follow me." The little boy hopped off the couch and quickly fell into step behind the Hokage.</p>
<p>Coincidentally, Naruto's new house wasn't too far away from the back-alley he used to sleep in. It was quite a modest thing. One small bedroom, a kitchen and living room combo and a bathroom with a stand-up shower. It wasn't much, but it was still a drastic improvement from his former living conditions.</p>
<p>As Naruto was busy exploring his new living area -there were windows in every room, thank god- Hiruzen placed a small envelope on the kitchen counter. "Naruto."</p>
<p>Naruto came running out of his bedroom. "Yeah, old man?"</p>
<p>"I had a Genin team furnish your house this morning, you'll find everything you need. I trust you know how to use an oven? Good. This here" He gestured towards the envelope "Is your monthly allowance, use it to buy yourself food and pay your bills every week. Those will only come around once a month, so make sure you don't spend your money on unnecessary things. If you have any questions or you need anything, then you can find me in the Hokage tower, where we were this morning."</p>
<p>Naruto looked over at the envelope before looking over at the living room. A couch was there, as was a dinner table and a few chairs. The bedroom had a bed and a nightstand as well as a cupboard. The kitchen was already full with plates, glasses and silverware. There was a note on the kitchen cabinet that had a list of meats and vegetables he should buy. Even the bathroom already had a toothbrush and a tube of toothpaste.</p>
<p>Naruto looked back over towards the Hokage, who was patiently waiting for Naruto to take everything in before finally voicing the question that's been niggling at his mind since the previous night.</p>
<p>"Why?"</p>
<p>Hiruzen stared at Naruto. "Why what?"</p>
<p>"Why are you doing all this? The house, the fur-nee-shers-"</p>
<p>"Furnitures." Hiruzen corrected.</p>
<p>"-Furnitures." Naruto frowned once more. "You're even giving me money, and I know that's not normal. So why?"</p>
<p>The Hokage sighed and closed his eyes. "Because Naruto, you are an orphan that's living in the street. It's not healthy, nor is it ethical."</p>
<p>"There are other orphans that don't have a place to live. What about them?"</p>
<p>"You are a special case."</p>
<p>Naruto squinted slightly. "Does it have to do with why everyone hates me?"</p>
<p>"That's enough, Naruto." Hiruzen turned away and made his way towards the front door. "I will be back later with some groceries that you'll need in the future. For now, focus on getting settled in and exploring the rest of your house." And with that, the Third Hokage was gone.</p>
<p>Naruto frowned at the door and looked around his new place. Walking into his new bedroom, he reached inside his pocket and smiled when he looked at his little wooden drum. He walked over to his bed and kneeled down, hiding his toy under the mattress. He'd have to find a better hiding spot for it later on.</p>
<p>And thus, began Naruto's new life.</p>
<hr/>
<p>"I am so sick of vegetables!"</p>
<p>Naruto glared at the inside of his fridge in distaste. Lettuce, tomatoes, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots. And that god-awful celery. He recently found out that he hated celery.</p>
<p>It's been 3 months since he moved in to his new place. And while he was glad he didn't have to steal food anymore; he was tired of feeling like cattle.</p>
<p>"I think I have some money left in my allowance…" Opening his new frog wallet, gama-chan, he peered inside and smiled in satisfaction once he saw what he had saved up. Turns out it was a good call after all, now he could go out and splurge a little bit.</p>
<p>Quickly throwing on his orange jacket that old-man-Hokage got for him, the young Jinchuriki opened his window and hopped out, shivering slightly when the cool night air hit his face. He loved this time of day. Despite the cold, the streets of Konoha were bustling with activity. The lights from street lamps and restaurants that were common after dusk gave night-time a mystical feel, which was only enhanced with the faces of the previous Hokages staring down at the village like silent guardians.</p>
<p>Speaking of Hokage, he didn't know what his opinion of the old monkey was. It definitely was a good one, though. He gave him food and shelter, and money to survive. He had stopped by several times to drop off groceries or to make sure he was alright, he was always nice to Naruto and gave him words of encouragement, he smiled at him instead of glaring at him. His constant presence made him a little more used to human interaction.</p>
<p>Even though he was sure there was a deeper reason as to why the third Hokage was so nice to him, he couldn't really bring himself to care. Sometimes he wondered if-</p>
<p>Wait…What was that smell?</p>
<p>That delicious smell of meat being fried, eggs being cooked, dough being stretched and kneaded and cut into perfection, creating this heavenly aroma of perfectly blended ingredients?</p>
<p>Following his nose, Naruto made his way to an unassuming little stand. He could see a man with greying hair and kind eyes working away and making delicious looking bowls of <em>something </em>with a little brunette following him around and attempting to help where she could.</p>
<p>He watched in amazement as the cook expertly placed the meat and narutomaki on top of noodles and broth along with some herbs and garnish before sliding the bowl on the counter and serving a drooling customer. He was so amazed in fact that he almost missed when the cook waved at him.</p>
<p>'Crap!' Quickly turning around, he was about to run for it when he heard him call out to him.</p>
<p>"Hey, it's alright!"</p>
<p>Leaning back, he peeked inside the stand again and saw the noodle chef grin at him while waving him over. "Ya hungry kid?"</p>
<p>That had never happened before. Usually, merchants and cooks chased him out, not invited him in. This could still be a trap, he had to be careful. Naruto cautiously made his way over to the table and stood on his tippy-toes to be able to see over the counter.</p>
<p>The noodle guy gave him a kind smile. "Have a seat! What flavor would you like to try? We've got pork, miso, tonkatsu, vegetab-"</p>
<p>"Miso please!" Naruto quickly interrupted as he climbed up onto the stool. The cook grinned at him and went to work. "Miso it is!"</p>
<p>The young blond watched the chef get started on a new bowl. Placing the meat on the grill, he began stirring the broth that was boiling away in a pot and dropped an egg into a second pot. It was amazing, no movements were wasted; each action were made with the sole purpose of completing the task as quickly and efficiently as possible.</p>
<p>"Daddy I wanna help too!" Naruto looked over as the same brunette from before rushed in and tugged on the hem of the older man's shirt.</p>
<p>The cook chuckled and patted her head. "Sure Ayame, why don't you chop some peppers for me?" The little girl Ayame cheered and rushed to get the task completed. "Be careful with the knife!" He added quickly.</p>
<p>Naruto smiled slightly at the sight. Is this what having a parent was like? It looked awesome.</p>
<p>It only took five more minutes for the bowl to be ready. "Here we are, one bowl of miso Ramen for the little mister!" The cook said jovially as he placed the bowl in front of Naruto.</p>
<p>"Ramen?" Naruto asked curiously, deeply inhaling the smell of the heavenly dish.</p>
<p>The ramen cook suddenly turned back around, startling the young boy. "You mean to tell me you've never had ramen before!?" At the blond's head-shake, the cook smiled at Naruto once more. "What's your name kid?"</p>
<p>"Naruto. Naruto Uzumaki!"</p>
<p>The cook chuckled. "Uzumaki, eh?" Naruto nodded. "Interesting name." The blond looked up at him curiously. "Well Naruto, you can call me Teuchi. And this over here is my daughter, Ayame." He gestured behind him at the little girl that was putting some of the pots away. "And as celebration for letting me serve you your first bowl of ramen, this one's on the house!"</p>
<p>"Really? Thanks, Teshi!" Teuchi's eyebrow twitched as Naruto mispronounced his name and watched him break his chopsticks apart. "Thank you for the meal!"</p>
<p>The hungry blond picked up a few strings of noodles with his chopsticks and quickly slurped them up. "Woah…This ramen stuff is amazing!" Teuchi smiled proudly as Naruto began shoveling the ramen in his mouth like a starving man. 'He's just like Kushina…' he thought to himself fondly.</p>
<p>"Hey daddy, I can't find the spatula!" Ayame rushed up to Teuchi and noticed the young customer.</p>
<p>"Oh my gosh, your whiskers are so cute!" The 9-year-old exclaimed.</p>
<p>Naruto paused, an indignant look appearing on his face as his cheeks reddened slightly in embarrassment. "They're not whiskers, they're birthmarks…I think." He mumbled that last part to himself.</p>
<p>"Whatever, your whiskers are still cute Whiskers-kun!" The whiskered boy groaned as he went back to his ramen.</p>
<p>Teuchi, who was watching the interaction chuckled to himself. "Naruto," he called out getting the blond's attention. The chef smiled at him. "You will always be welcome here."</p>
<p>A warm, alien feeling bloomed in his stomach and he could feel his eyes begin to sting a little. "T-Thank you, Teuchi-san…" He quickly brought the bowl to his lips and pretended to drink from it to hide his moistening eyes.</p>
<p>Maybe things weren't so bad after all…</p>
<hr/>
<p>"So…You're guarding the Uzumaki kid now eh? What'd you do to get stuck with that, Uzuki?" A man with a bandana queried playfully as he chewed on the senbon in his mouth.</p>
<p>"Genma…" chided a woman with red eyes and curly black hair.</p>
<p>"It's alright Kurenai." 'Uzuki' Replied and smiled at Genma. "I requested to."</p>
<p>"You requested to!?" Another man wearing shades asked in surprise. "I thought you 'only lived for the missions' and all that stuff, what happened?"</p>
<p>"Her last mission went south." Hayate, answered Aoba's question. Yugao who was holding his hand in hers squeezed it a little too tight, making Hayate wince slightly.</p>
<p>"It did not." Yugao said in a warning tone to her boyfriend. "I just needed a change of scenery. Taking mission after mission is having it's toll on me." A man with a heavily scarred face laughed at that making accusing eyes turn to him. "Don't even get me started on you, mister I-opted-out-of-a-mission-because-I-had-a-stomach-ache."</p>
<p>Raido's laugh abruptly stopped. "I did!" he shouted indignantly making Yugao roll her eyes.</p>
<p>"Still…" Said Kurenai. "Don't you think it's a bit…boring? I know that Naruto boy isn't exactly like the other kids, but he IS still one."</p>
<p>"It's not that bad." Said the purple haired swordsman as she took a sip from her drink. "It's interesting to see him interact with people. He's a good kid. A bit jumpy, and a bit of a troublemaker, but he's definitely not how people paint him out to be."</p>
<p>The gathered table of Jonin was silent for a few seconds. "Wait, does he even know he's being guarded?" Genma asked suddenly.</p>
<p>Yugao shook her head. "No, we are under strict orders to stay hidden. Unless he notices us, which is unlikely, we cannot directly interact with him."</p>
<p>"Hmm." Genma hummed thoughtfully before turning towards Raido. "So, any idea where the others are?"</p>
<p>"Asuma and Anko are out on a mission." The scarred man began. "And last I heard, Gai got a mini-me…" He finished with a shudder.</p>
<p>"A mini-me?"</p>
<p>"Yeah," He sighed and downed the rest of his sake. "An apprentice. He's making him wear the same horrid stuff as well."</p>
<p>"And Kakashi?"</p>
<p>"Yo." Everyone turned around to see a familiar masked face.</p>
<p>"Kakashi!" Aoba greeted. "Did you hear that Yugao is babysitting kids now? Ow!" The jonin wearing shades yelped as he received a kick in the shin under the table.</p>
<p>Kakashi's eye curled up into a smile. "Oh, I know. She's my partner."</p>
<p>"…" Everyone stared at Kakashi in surprise, save for Yugao who laughed quietly to herself.</p>
<p>"You mean to tell me that the Hokage saw fit to assign one of our best ANBU to a babysitting job?" Kakashi nodded. "Why!?"</p>
<p>"I requested to." He answered, and was rewarded with the stupefied faces of his friends.</p>
<p>Ah, he really did love messing with them.</p>
<hr/>
<p>Naruto had made up his mind.</p>
<p>He was going to become a ninja!</p>
<p>He'd thought long and hard about that ever since the old man Hokage asked him 5 months ago. On one hand, being a ninja was probably super, SUPER dangerous. They played with sharp stuff and spat out fireballs. But on the other hand…They played with sharp stuff and spat out fireballs! How cool was that!?</p>
<p>Of course, that wasn't his only reason. He wanted to become strong. Strong enough to protect those he cared about. Strong enough to protect himself. Stronger than anyone! He wanted to be just like his idol, the fourth Hokage. Now HE was a true hero in his eyes. He died protecting what was important to him, he fought against a natural disaster and killed it!</p>
<p>"-I'm telling you Taji, I got my nii-san to show me how to unlock Chakra!"</p>
<p>The whiskered boy stopped in his tracks and peeked behind a tree. He was at a random training ground right now, hoping to maybe find stray weapons he could start practicing with. But this sounded much too interesting to ignore.</p>
<p>"Eh? No way, I don't believe you."</p>
<p>"It's true!" The first kid that looked about 10 years old exclaimed. "You wanna see?"</p>
<p>A girl with blue-ish hair looked uncertainly between her two friends. "I don't know, Isao…Maybe we should wait until we have an adult with us. It doesn't seem safe…"</p>
<p>Isao just grinned at her confidently. "Don't worry Yui, it'll be fine!" He sat down and crossed his legs. "I think he said you have to meditate like this and look deep within yourself, then you'll feel it."</p>
<p>Taji looked skeptic. "And then…?"</p>
<p>"Then you just…Pull it out?" The girl looked as unconvinced as Taji. "Is it really that easy?"</p>
<p>"Must be! Nii-san wouldn't lie to me!" There was a slight rustle next to them behind the tree and three sets of heads turned towards the noise. "What was that?" Taji asked and quickly ran behind the tree to take a look.</p>
<p>"Huh? There's no one there." The shortest of the three kids looked towards his friends, who just shrugged in similar confusion.</p>
<p>'Look deep within yourself…' Naruto thought to himself as he sprinted his way back to his home. 'All I have to do is close my eyes and look for it.' He grinned. How hard could it be?</p>
<hr/>
<p>The answer is, pretty hard.</p>
<p>Naruto had been trying to meditate and look for that damn feeling for the past 20 minutes and he still couldn't 'feel' anything. He was beginning to think that the kid from the training ground had lied.</p>
<p>But Uzumaki Naruto was nothing if not stubborn. He never gave up! He never had so far and he never will! So once more, he sat down with his legs crossed and concentrated.</p>
<p>"Come on you bastard…" The blond muttered to himself. He squeezed his eyes shut as his face scrunched up in concentration. "Show yourself dammit…"</p>
<p>Gah, still nothing! Maybe he should- Wait! Was that it? He could definitely feel something warm in the pit of his belly now. That must be it! Now all he had to do was grab it and pull it out. He attempted to do just that, reaching for it and pulling hard.</p>
<p>He didn't expect it to pull back, however. What was happening? The feeling felt hot now, too hot. It was painful, like acid boiling in his stomach. He didn't like that; he must have done something wrong. He tried letting go of it but it was too late, the burning feeling seemed to consume him and the acid began to spread through his body. He tried to scream, call out for help, but it seemed his voice had left him as well. All he could do was squirm in agonizing pain.</p>
<p>And just like that, the pain was gone. Gasping, he took in big gulps of air as he caught his breath. Where was he? He definitely wasn't in his room anymore. He was somewhere wet, and dark and cold. Wherever he was, he didn't like it. And what was up with that giant metal cage in front of him!?</p>
<p>A single red eye opened in the dark. But it was big, way too big to be a person or an animal. And it looked very angry too. A sudden pressure crashed onto his shoulders, forcing him to his knees, but nothing was touching him. This was much worse than before. He couldn't breathe, his thoughts were reduced to unintelligible garbles. He saw flashes in his minds of the infinite possible ways he could die right now.</p>
<p>But even through all of that, he heard it. A voice so deep and loud he could feel it reverberate everywhere in this strange place and echo inside his head, like a recording of metal meeting gravel cranked up to a thousand.</p>
<p>
  <strong>"You are not welcome here, warden."</strong>
</p>
<p>The shivering blond felt himself being forced out of wherever the hell this was, and he suddenly found himself on the floor of his apartment once more, with sweat drenching his clothes and eyes unfocused. He gasped for air as he sat up into a sitting position, trying his best not to throw up his lunch.</p>
<p>What. The. Fuck. Was. That?</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Things will pick up in a chapter or two, I promise</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Sleep had eluded him that night.</p><p> </p><p>His mind kept going back to the events that had happened within the last 10 hours. Every time he fell asleep, he saw that eye. That cold, angry eye that seemed to hold so much hatred inside. And that feeling…</p><p> </p><p>He shivered at the mere memory of it.</p><p> </p><p>Whatever that thing was, it had called him “warden”. That word was familiar, though he couldn’t remember what it meant. Perhaps he’d read it in one of his books? He’d have to look it up later on.</p><p> </p><p>He sat up in his bed when he heard his front door open.</p><p> </p><p>“Can I come in?” That sounded like the old Hokage. Getting off his bed, he walked out of his room and into his living room, where he watched as the old man placed an envelope on his kitchen counter.</p><p> </p><p>“This is for this month’s living expenses.”</p><p> </p><p>The young boy looked at the envelope in slight contempt. He hated this. Well not really, he was grateful to have a home now, and that someone cared enough to come by every month to make sure he was still alive. But he hated living like this. He hated not having anyone to talk to about his problems. He hated how the Hokage, who looked like he cared for him on the surface, seemed to be hiding things from him. He definitely couldn’t tell the Hokage about what had happened the previous night. He had a feeling that things would end badly if he did.</p><p> </p><p>Sarutobi watched the boy for a few seconds before making his way back to the front door once he saw that he would remain silent.</p><p> </p><p>“Hey…” The Hokage paused in front of the door and turned to the young blond as Naruto tilted his head back to look at him. “Why don’t I have a mom and dad?”</p><p> </p><p>A memory made its way inside the old man’s mind, of a blond Hokage and hot-blooded red-head impaled on the claw of a great beast. ”Hm…” Hiruzen closed his eyes tiredly. “Didn’t I tell you before?” he asked the blond. “Although it was quite some time ago-“</p><p> </p><p>“That’s not what I want to hear!” the Jinchūriki interrupted as he looked angrily at the hokage. “You’re talking about when that beast called the nine tailed fox ran amuck, right?”</p><p> </p><p>Hiruzen kept staring at the blond as he continued. “That’s not what I’m asking about! I just want to know…” Naruto got up and stared at him heatedly. “Who were my parents? What kind of people were they?”</p><p> </p><p>The Hokage so desperately wanted to tell the boy about his parents, but he couldn’t. Not yet anyway. Not because he was worried about potential enemies, no. Konoha could protect him from that. But because he thought that the blond wouldn’t be able to handle it. He wanted to tell him about the nine tails one day, and if he learned that his own father had condemned him to a life of misery, he wasn’t sure how he’d react.</p><p> </p><p>An image of Minato hugging his wife’s pregnant belly appeared in his mind. No, he couldn’t tell him. He couldn’t take the risk of having Naruto come to hate his parents and his village. Not when they had loved him more than the world itself, even before he was born.</p><p> </p><p>He turned away and put his hand on the doorknob. “There’s no use asking about that. It won’t bring the dead back.”</p><p> </p><p>Naruto frowned at Sarutobi’s retreating back. More lies. He always knew when people lied to him. They never looked him in the eyes when they did.</p><p> </p><p>Right before the Hokage was about to leave, Naruto remembered his train of thought before the old man had come in. “Hey, old man,” he said quickly.</p><p> </p><p>Sarutobi opened the front door and paused halfway inside the doorway. Naruto continued. “What does ‘warden’ mean?”</p><p> </p><p>Hiruzen looked sharply at the Jinchūriki. Why would the boy ask such a question? Had someone told him about the nine tails? Who would do such a thing? Perhaps it was just a coincidence. Hiruzen knew that the blond liked to read to increase his vocabulary. Maybe he’d read that word in one of those books of his? Hopefully.</p><p> </p><p>“A warden is a person that’s responsible for someone or something’s supervision.” And with that, the old man was gone.</p><p> </p><p>Naruto stared at the door. He wasn’t sure what supervision was, but he had an idea. So that thing that had called him warden, Naruto was in charge of it? But that didn’t make sense, he’d never seen it before. He knew he’d remember something like that if that were the case.</p><p> </p><p>He needed to meet it again. As scary as it was, as painful as it was, he needed answers.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>God, he was crazy. He knew that if things went wrong in the future, that he would be able to pinpoint it to exactly right now.</p><p> </p><p>Here he was, sitting cross-legged in his living room once more, about to attempt what had ended terribly the last time he tried this. He needed to find that feeling deep inside himself again.</p><p> </p><p>He closed his eyes and concentrated. There it was…That warm feeling that had lulled him into a false sense of security. He imagined a hand wrapping around that feeling, but unlike last time, he didn’t pull and try to force it out and instead let it guide him deeper into his mind.</p><p> </p><p>He opened his eyes and was met with the same metal bars from last time. So, he <em>was</em> back. Just what was this place? How could something inside himself lead him to somewhere else? Was this inside his mind? He had never heard of anyone being able to do that before.</p><p> </p><p>There was that eye again…But there were two of them this time. Those eyes within the darkness that seemed to look at him with such hatred. Was it angry because it was caged? He had a feeling that he’d be angry as well if he were stuck behind bars for so long.</p><p> </p><p>The same feeling from last time made him gasp and collapse to his knees as cold sweat began to form on his forehead. No! He didn’t want to leave yet! He didn’t even know what that thing was! He hadn’t come all the way out here for nothing!</p><p> </p><p><strong>“I thought I’d warned you.” </strong>The deep booming voice mumbled angrily. <strong>“Are you as dense as you look?”</strong></p><p> </p><p>“P-Please…” The blond managed to get out as he took in shaky breath “W-Wait, please!”</p><p> </p><p>The beast was silent for a few moments before the pressure suddenly abated. <strong>“Speak, warden.”</strong></p><p>
  
</p><p>Naruto gasped once he was able to get his bearings again as he fell onto his backside, greedily gulping down some much-needed oxygen. “T-Thank you…”</p><p> </p><p>The red eyes seemed to be observing him with impatience, so the whiskered boy hurriedly, albeit shakily, stood back on his feet. “Who are you, exactly…?”</p><p> </p><p>A wide, terrifying grin appeared within the darkness of the cage, sharp white teeth, each several times bigger than he was coming to life beneath the twin nightmarish red orbs.</p><p> </p><p><strong>“So, the little human is curious about me, hm?” </strong>the creature gave a deep humorless laugh. <strong>“Should I feel honored?” </strong>It asked in a tone that was practically dripping with sarcasm.</p><p> </p><p>Naruto began to shiver in panic as the glowing eyes appeared to be floating up higher and higher, staring at him from what looked like hundreds of feet high. <strong>“You want to know who I am, mortal? Then I’ll tell you.”</strong> Some of the darkness within the cage began to fade, giving Naruto a better view of the beast inside. Orange fur, razor sharp teeth, blood red eyes. But that wasn’t what scared the boy the most.</p><p> </p><p>He stared in horror at the nine swishing tails behind the giant fox.</p><p> </p><p><strong>“I am the Kyuubi. The nine tailed demon fox, and mightiest of the bijuu.” </strong>The fox gave the blond a menacing grin.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>It took all of Naruto’s willpower not to pass out right then and there. He was face to face with the nine tailed fox? The same fox that could create tidal waves and hurricanes with merely a swipe of its tails? The same fox that nearly destroyed his home village and killed the greatest Hokage they ever had?</p><p> </p><p>He tried to look at things rationally. The Kyuubi was unable touch him from there. Those bars were there for a reason and he had a feeling that if the nine tails could take them down, then he would have done so already. Now he had even more questions than before! What was the strongest Bijuu doing here?</p><p> </p><p>“T-The nine tailed fox?” He stuttered. “But how is that possible? I thought that the fourth killed you?”</p><p> </p><p>A giant hand smashed against the metal bars making the cage creak and rattle as Naruto jumped back in fright. <strong>“You think that pathetic fool of a Yondaime could ever defeat me!?” </strong>The nine tails roared in anger. <strong>“None in this world could ever come close to me! You are nothing but ants in front of my might.”</strong></p><p>
  
</p><p>Naruto gulped audibly as he stared at the visage of the demon fox. “T-Then, what happened?”</p><p> </p><p>The mighty demon sat back down as it huffed angrily to himself. <strong>“That blasted Namikaze sealed me away, into a pathetic twerp of all things.” </strong>The nine tail’s eyes narrowed as it looked at his warden. <strong>“I was so close to ending your miserable existence. But that damned Uzumaki…She held me down with her pesky chains before I could finish the deed.”</strong></p><p>
  
</p><p>Uzumaki? There was another Uzumaki before him? He’d always thought he was just given a random name! Wait, what was that about sealing?</p><p> </p><p>“W-what do you mean by ‘sealed you away’? Are you saying that you’re sealed inside of me? Is that why you called me warden before?” The young blond babbled.</p><p> </p><p>The great Bijuu cast him an annoyed glare. <strong>“I grow tired of your presence, morsel. Begone.” </strong></p><p> </p><p>“Wait, I-“ Before he could say anything else, he felt that same feeling from yesterday of being forcefully pushed out of his mindscape. He could kick him out of his own mind!? That was so not fair!</p><p> </p><p>Naruto woke up with a groan as he sat up again and held his throbbing head. His brain was spinning with even more questions. He had learned a lot, but now new questions had arisen.</p><p>
  
</p><p>The freaking nine tails was inside of him! And the fourth hadn’t killed him at all, he had sealed it into him! Was that why the entire village seemed to hate him? Was that why people whispered behind his back and the old man treated him so differently? Did the Hokage even know? He had to! He was the <em>Hokage!</em></p><p> </p><p>The blond reached under his mattress and held his little drum for comfort. ‘Why did he keep something like that from me…What else is he hiding? I bet he does know who my parents are but he just doesn’t wanna tell me.’ Well two could play at that game. If the leader of this village would keep things away from him, then so would he.</p><p> </p><p>The nine tails had said something about an Uzumaki. All this time, he’d thought that it was just a made-up name given to him because no family wanted him. But there were others like him. Were there any still alive?</p><p> </p><p>He squeezed his eyes shut as he played replayed his encounter with the fox. The fourth, his <em>idol </em>was the one that had sealed the kyuubi inside of him. He didn’t know how to feel about that. Even if the fourth hadn’t had a choice, why was <em>he </em>chosen of all people?</p><p> </p><p>This was all too much for the blond. Thinking about it just gave him an even bigger headache.</p><p> </p><p>“And I still have that damn chakra to unlock…” He lamented to himself. With a sigh, he forced himself back into a sitting position and closed his eyes once more. There was that warm feeling of the nine tails again. He briefly considered going back in, but he had a feeling that the fox wouldn’t like that. So instead he pushed past the warm feeling of the fox and started digging deeper.</p><p> </p><p>Yes…He could feel it now. There was something else within. If he had to associate the demon’s feeling to a color, it would definitely be red. But this one felt calmer and cooler, like the color blue. He once again pictured a hand closing around it when a thought made him stop in his tracks. What would happen if he tried pulling this one out? What if he had another secret demon inside of him and this was what that feeling was?</p><p> </p><p>No, he wouldn’t back down now. Even if it was another demon, then he would meet it head on! Now determined, he finally grasped the blue sensation and pulled hard on it.</p><p> </p><p>The damn thing wouldn’t budge! While it didn’t violently pull back like the red color, this one just would not move at all. Gritting his teeth, he pictured a second hand wrapping around it and began to pull with all his might once more. Yes! He could feel it wobbling slightly! He was so close now, all he had to do was keep pulling.</p><p> </p><p>And he kept doing just that, pulling and pulling as hard as he could for several minutes. And finally, after one final tug, he felt it give. Chakra exploded out of him and knocked his surrounding furniture over. He could feel this warm comforting sensation flowing around his body, revitalizing him and making him feel stronger and healthier than he ever had in his short life.</p><p> </p><p>He had done it! He’d unlocked his chakra! Standing up, he marveled at this newfound feeling. He felt like he could run for miles and lift mountains. But the question was, what would he do now with this power?</p><p> </p><p>An idea come to his head as a mischievous smile blossomed onto his face.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>“He’s over there! Get him!”</p><p> </p><p>“I’m gonna skin you alive you little terror!”</p><p> </p><p>Naruto laughed as he jumped on top of another building. This chakra stuff was great! He could jump from roof to roof now, and he could outrun everyone! Even those people with the green vests that always gave him trouble before were left behind in his dust!</p><p> </p><p>For the past three hours, he’d been pulling prank after prank, terrorizing the villagers and ninja alike. No one who scorned him was safe from him! He could remember every faces, every nasty insult and every store owner that had chased him out. One had had the front of his store graffitied with big bold text saying “stupid” and “butthead”. Another civilian had walked home only to be met with a pie being launched out of his opposing wall and nailing him in the face.</p><p> </p><p>Looking back, he saw that some of the people with green vests were catching up with him as he did his best to contain his laughter. One of them was bright pink. Another one was covered in feathers and looked like a giant chicken. Quickly hopping off the building and ducking into an alleyway, he waited until all of his pursuers were out of sight before finally coming out with a satisfied smile.</p><p> </p><p>“Hehe. That’ll show them not to mess with Naruto Uzumaki!”</p><p> </p><p>A crash behind him startled him as he whirled around. A man in a green vest and a long scar running along the bridge of his nose stumbled out from behind some trash cans, panting in exhaustion from chasing after him all day.</p><p> </p><p>“I…Finally…Found you….” He panted out in between breaths. Naruto smiled at him challengingly and took off once more.</p><p> </p><p>“No you didn’t!”</p><p> </p><p>“Hey, get back here!” He yelled out uselessly. He blinked in surprise though when the 5-year-old skidded to a stop and after a moment’s pause, cautiously made his way back towards the man in the green vest.</p><p> </p><p>“Oh, um…You…Actually did.”</p><p> </p><p>Naruto tilted his head. “Yeah.”</p><p> </p><p>The Young Chunin scratched his head in confusion and looked around uncertainly. “Well, alright…Um. I guess we’re going to the Hokage’s office now? Follow me.” The man turned around and began to make his way towards the Hokage building, entirely missing the grin on Naruto’s face.</p><p> </p><p>“Element of surprise!” The blond pulled a water balloon off of his belt and flung it at the man, who turned around in surprise and spluttered as the balloon exploded in his face.</p><p> </p><p>“Aagh!” The older man yelled as he fell onto his backside. He frantically wiped his face and opened his eyes to berate the little trickster only to realize he was already long gone.</p><p> </p><p>Up above on the roofs, two masked figures observed the scene below in amusement.</p><p> </p><p>“Lively kid.” The one in the weasel mask said with a small chuckle.</p><p> </p><p>The ANBU in the dog mask just smiled.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Today had been awesome! He’d gotten some sweet, sweet revenge on those annoying villagers that would always be mean to him. Right now, though, he was tired. He looked like quite the sight, paint and scuff marks adorned his clothes and his hair stuck to his forehead from the sweat. He was looking forward to get home, shower and collapse onto his bed.</p><p> </p><p>“Man, where did that troublesome kid go…” Naruto stopped and looked up as a voice drew his attention. There was an unassuming man with black hair in another one of those green vests. The man was looking around in search of something before sighing as he brought his hands together, hands closed save for his index and middle fingers that extended out to make a cross sign.</p><p> </p><p>“It can’t be helped. Shadow clone jutsu!” A puff of smoke appeared next to him, surprising Naruto. His eyes nearly fell out of his sockets when he saw an exact copy of the black-haired man next to him.</p><p> </p><p>“You go this way; I’ll check out this area over there.” The clone nodded as he and the original vanished in different directions.</p><p> </p><p>Naruto looked on in amazement.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>The plan <em>was </em>to go home, take a shower and get some much-needed rest, but what he had witnessed earlier had made him way too excited. There was a technique that could make clones? What else could ninja do? The potential of chakra felt limitless!</p><p> </p><p>So here he was, standing in his living room once more as he stared at the ground in front of him with determined eyes. He had chakra now, so he could do this as well, right? If that man from before managed to do it, then he could to!</p><p> </p><p>Balling his fists at his sides, the blond grinned in anticipation. “Shadow clone jutsu!”</p><p> </p><p>…</p><p> </p><p>“Huh?” The boy stared in confusion as nothing happened. Was he supposed to do something else? Now that he thought back to it, the man had made a strange symbol with his hands. Maybe that was the missing piece? It’s not like he had anything to lose.</p><p> </p><p>Crossing his fingers together just like how he saw the ninja do, he felt his chakra fluctuate in his body in an unfamiliar way. “Shadow clone jutsu!” He called out, even louder than before.</p><p> </p><p>A puff of smoke appeared in front of him as he felt a wave of dizziness. Damn, why did he suddenly feel so tired? Blinking, he stared at the spot where the smoke had come from. There was nothing there! Had he done the technique incorrectly? “Oi!” A squeaky high-pitched voice startled him as glanced around his room in confusion.</p><p> </p><p>“Hello?”</p><p> </p><p>“Down here.” The blond jinchūriki looked down and was surprised to find…Himself? Except he was…Much, MUCH smaller than him.</p><p> </p><p>“Why are you so tall ya bastard!?” His mini-clone yelled at him angrily. The real Naruto could only stare in astonishment.</p><p> </p><p>“I’m not tall, you’re the one that’s small! What the hell happened?” The tiny clone crossed his arms in indignation as it opened his mouth to give a smart reply…Only to disappear in another puff of smoke.</p><p> </p><p>Naruto stared at the spot that his clone was just standing in as his tired brain attempted to process what had just happened.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Three months had gone by for our favorite blond, and life went on as usual. The Hokage came by to give him his allowance, Naruto terrorized the villagers by doing his new favorite pass-time; pranking, and on his own time, Naruto had been doing some studying on his own.</p><p> </p><p>Turns out there is a whole island of Uzumakis. Well, there <em>was</em>. Not anymore. The island of Uzushiogakure had been eradicated during one of the wars, leaving only ruins to show that they had once been a prospering village within the land of whirlpools. Rumors has it that there were survivors that had managed to flee during the attack, obviously, given that he was here now. But as feeble as it was, hope began to take life inside of Naruto that other members of his family had managed to survive as well.</p><p> </p><p>Another thing that he had learned was that each major village had people that held demons in them, or <em>jinch</em><em>ū</em><em>rikis</em> as they called them. While the thought that there were others out there who were just like him made him happy, he couldn’t help but wonder how they were being treated over there.</p><p> </p><p>‘I hope they’re alright…’ Thought the blond sadly. He wanted to meet them one day. He was sure that they could become friends.</p><p> </p><p>He needed more answers about why he had been chosen.</p><p> </p><p>A passing book in the library about the fourth had told him that Minato Namikaze had a genin team before he was anointed as the Hokage. Uchiha Obito, deceased. Nohara Rin, deceased. Hatake Kakashi, J<em>ōnin of Konohagakure. This Kakashi person might know something about the yondaime’s decision! He hoped so at least.</em></p><p>
  
</p><p>A soft knock on his front door shook him out of his musings. Glancing at his clock, he saw that it was 9:38pm ‘Who could it be at this time?’</p><p> </p><p>Slowly padding his way to the front door, he stopped in front of it as he pressed an ear to it.</p><p> </p><p>“Who is it?”</p><p> </p><p>…</p><p> </p><p>No answer. That was weird. He slowly reached up for his handle and opened the door a crack, peeking his head behind the frame. No one there. But there <em>was </em>a package on the floor with writing scribbled on it that read “To Naruto”.</p><p> </p><p>His interest having been piqued, he opened the door fully and picked up the package in his small hands. Glancing from side to side once more, he turned back around once he saw no one and closed the door behind him. ‘What is this?’</p><p> </p><p>He stared at the package for a few seconds, suspicion steadily rising as he thought of what could be inside of this unassuming package. After shaking it gently and confirming that the material inside was soft and nothing dangerous, he ripped it open as a note fell out of it.</p><p> </p><p>He picked up the note curiously and opened it ‘For those cold winter days, happy birthday Naruto.’</p><p> </p><p>Birthday…Yes, he’d heard that word before. Kids in the orphanage had used it several times, though he never really thought that he could have one as well. It made sense now that he thought about it. He glanced over to the calendar that was hanging from his wall. So October 10 was his birthday then?</p><p> </p><p>Placing the card down, he opened the package further to reveal a blue scarf with lines running horizontally across the fabric that were a lighter shade of blue. ‘It’s so soft…’ He thought as he wrapped it around himself and marvelled at the warmth it seemed to give him. But who would give him this scarf? There wasn’t anyone behind the door!</p><p> </p><p>Running to his window, he threw it open as he looked around the dark street in the hopes of finding this mysterious person. Unfortunately, the area was barren at this time of night. Inhaling, Naruto cupped his hands around his mouth to project his voice even further.</p><p> </p><p>“THANK YOU!” He yelled out into the night. He waited a few seconds in the hopes that he would get an answer back…Nope. Nothing but the wind. With a small sigh, he ducked back inside and closed his window.</p><p> </p><p>Hiding a few meters away within the darkness, the single visible eye of a certain masked man curved up into a smile.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>
  <em>It was horrible. Everyone in this underground bunker looked like sick caricatures of what used to be humans. Everywhere he looked, victims of failed experiments moaned in agony or stared lifelessly at nothing in particular. The ones that were still conscious enough to speak were barely aware enough to give off unintelligent mumbles.</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>Men, women. Even children…None were spared from the cruel treatment. ‘That monster…How far is he willing to go for his twisted ambitions?’</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>“Captain.” </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>The newly-promoted 13-year-old captain of ANBU tore his eyes away from the gruesome sight before him in favor of turning his attention towards his subordinate, a man in a tiger mask with medium sized brown hair that was tied up in a spiky ponytail.</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>“What do we have?” </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>“It seems that all these people have been forcefully paired with some kind of artificial nature energy.” The tiger ANBU looked down at the clipboard in his hands. “None of them could properly wield it as the natural chakra rebelled against them, so Orochimaru attempted to modify their bodies to be able to properly sustain it, leading to…This.” He gestured towards the horrific amalgamates.</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>‘My god…’ Kakashi thought to himself in disgust. ‘Is that lunatic trying to replicate Jiraiya-sama’s sage mode?’ </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>“These are only the beginning stages.” The bird mask continued. “After a few days, they devolve into basic instinct. Hunt, kill, eat. The mark on their bodies release some kind of enzyme into their system that makes them turn wild and feral. They become extremely dangerous and will attack anything on sight.”</em>
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</p><p>
  <em>“Have we tried removing the mark?” The teen commander asked.</em>
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</p><p>
  <em>“That’s the thing sir…” The bird man looked uneasily at the disfigured victims. “The marks seem to hold a piece Orochimaru’s soul. It’s impossible to remove it.”</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>It wasn’t looking good. Kakashi stared hopelessly at what he assumed was a young female clutching a crying infant to her side. </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>“Have any of the recovered bodies turned back to normal?”</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>“None, sir. All of these people are done for.” The subordinate replied grimly. The grey haired ANBU squeezed his eyes shut as he debated what to do.</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>He slowly walked over to the huddled figure of the young girl he saw before and crouched down to her level. She didn’t seem to notice him. The deformed experiment was slowly rocking her child and muttering a lullaby as her empty eye sockets stared right through him. </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>He knew what he had to do. But, could he do it? Could he really take the lives of these poor tortured souls? They hadn’t done anything yet; they didn’t deserve to die. They were just civilians living their lives who fell victim to a twisted man’s corrupted desires.</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>But it was too late for them. The kindest thing he could do now was to end their misery, but he didn’t think he could do it. Reaching down to his hip, he pulled off the dog mask that was attached to his belt and stared at the visage of his title. </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>Was this what it meant to be ANBU? To do whatever it took to protect Konoha? To do what no one else could do for the sake of the others? Kakashi always knew that being the captain of the black ops was a cruel thing, but this was the first time that he actually saw just what this position entailed. </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>“Please…” His attention was taken off his mask as he looked over at the girl that had finally noticed his presence. “Please…Help us…”</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>He would help these people. No matter how hard or painful it was, he would do what needed to be done. Looking at his mask once more, he flipped it around and brought it to his face. Kakashi…No. He wasn’t Kakashi anymore. He was Dog now. With this mask, he was the ANBU captain of Alpha division. Dog reached up to the handle poking out behind his left shoulder and grabbed onto it, pulling on it to free the blade from its sheath. </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>If this was what being an ANBU meant, then he would do it without complaining. He would turn of his emotions and do what was necessary to complete the mission. Because If he didn’t then who would? He’d take on the full brunt of this responsibility, because he was ANBU. He was Dog, the protector of Konoha. </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>The ANBU captain drove his blade in the heart of the girl, who died painlessly a few seconds later. </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>With shaking hands, he began his grueling task, and he didn’t stop. Even when they screamed in terror. Even when they begged for mercy. Even when the children cried for their parents.</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>Because that was what was necessary.</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><hr/><p>
  
</p><p>“Wake up, Kakashi!”</p><p> </p><p>Kakashi jolted awake. Tiredly opening his eye, he blearily looked at the face of his colleague with the tiger mask.</p><p> </p><p>“It’s 6:43pm. I know it’s part of that persona of yours to be late, but Cat has been waiting for you for nearly an hour.”</p><p> </p><p>With a groan, the scarecrow sat up in his bed and rubbed at his only exposed eye. He was normally an extremely light sleeper, something that has been developed as a necessity given his field of work. But every now and then, he’d have one of those nightmares. Memories of his worst moments within his life. He glanced at his now opened window near his bed. Tiger must have gotten in from there.</p><p> </p><p>“Thank you Tiger.” The young Hatake reached over to his nightstand and grabbed his dog mask. Standing up, he placed his mask onto his face and clipped it into place. Tiger immediately stood straighter and saluted.</p><p> </p><p>“At your command, captain!”</p><p> </p><p>“Dismissed.” Dog checked his pouch as Tiger vanished out of the window. After making sure he had everything, he too disappeared from his room.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>“Ow ow ow ow ow ow ow!” Yes, it was finally ready! After waiting all of 3 minutes, the food of the gods was finally ready.</p><p> </p><p>Well, a substitute to it, at least.</p><p> </p><p>Holding the boiling cup of noodles, the young jinchūriki quickly made his way to his dinner table, almost throwing it onto it because of the heat. Once his torturous trip was finally over, he blew onto his hands in an attempt to ward off any burns. ‘It’ll heal. It always does.’</p><p> </p><p>Sitting down on a chair, he eagerly broke his chopsticks and brought his hands together. “Thank you for the meal.” With that done, he could finally dig in. The cup of noodles never stood a chance! In merely a minute, the cup that once contained the heavenly dish had been completely emptied. Another easy victory for Uzumaki Naruto.</p><p> </p><p>Closing his eyes, he savored the feeling of his warm meal. It was a cool night out today, but he didn’t mind it. Smiling, he ran a hand through his brand-new scarf that he now wore around his neck. He <em>had</em> to find out who gave it to him so he could thank them properly.</p><p> </p><p>He closed his eyes and cleared his thoughts. Yes, there they were. He could barely feel them, but they were definitely there. It’s not like they were making a big effort to hide themselves anyway. He knew of those masked people that would often be in the vicinity of his house. He had a feeling they were sent by the Hokage. The Jinchūriki had to be protected after all.</p><p> </p><p>When had he developed a sixth sense? He had no idea. But he had a feeling it came from living on the street for a few months. It had forced his sense of survival to the max. It wasn’t anything amazing, he could only kind of feel things that were in his immediate area. But still, he thought it was an awesome skill to have.</p><p> </p><p>He didn’t know why, but one of those masked figures made him feel safe, almost as if he already knew him. Hey, just because the Hokage made him cautious didn’t mean that he had to be scared of the people protecting him, right? Opening his eyes, he smiled as he rushed towards his kitchen once more, pulling another cup ramen out of his cupboard and putting it to boil. They must get pretty hungry, being up on the roofs for so long with nothing to eat.</p><p> </p><p>After three more minutes, the cup ramen was ready. Making sure to use oven mitts this time to not burn himself, he brought it to his windowsill and carefully placed it down.</p><p> </p><p>…</p><p> </p><p>Well that sucked, no one was coming down to get it. Maybe he’d been wrong and no one was there? He shrugged and made his way back to his living room. They’ll take it whenever they see it.</p><p> </p><p>He needed to find that Kakashi guy. He was sure that he would be able to tell him more about why he was chosen as the jailor of the nine tails. Plus, being the student of the fourth, he <em>had</em> to be strong! Maybe he could get the J<em>ōnin to train him? </em></p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>He wanted- No. He </em>
  <em>needed</em>
  <em> to become stronger. If he was going to become a strong shinobi one day, then he’d need training, lots of training. And he had a feeling it wasn’t going to be easy. Yes, tomorrow; he would find him. And he would find his answers.</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>His eyes went back to his windowsill. What the- The cup ramen was gone! And they didn’t even say thank you, how rude of them! Running over towards his window, he leaned his upper body outside and took a deep breath.</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>“YOU’RE WELCOME!” He couldn’t have sounded more sarcastic even if he tried.</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>But he was only greeted with silence.</em>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Revelations</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Whoosh</p><p>The world rushed past him in a blur. He was making good time. Though it was to be expected, he knew this area like the back of his hand by now.</p><p>Jumping over a merchant's cart, the unknown figure used the top of the wooden structure to propel himself onto a nearby balcony, spring boarding off of it and launching himself onto the roof of the adjacent building.</p><p>Yes, he was so close now. He mentally counted down in his head. '10, 9, 8' He jumped from the building and landed heavily onto the road below, rolling to cushion his fall as he continued his mad sprint across the village.</p><p>'7, 6, 5' He ran like the devil was on his tail. Pushing more of the mystical blue energy into his legs, the figure picked up more speed as he neared his next checkpoint.</p><p>'4, 3, 2…Yes!' He mentally cheered as he passed his checkpoint with time to spare. He quickly rounded the corner of the street narrowly avoiding a bystander carrying groceries as his eyes landed on his finish line 'Almost there!'</p><p>"Hey, watch where you're going, asshole!"</p><p>"Sorry!" Shouted the blond blur over his shoulder. He couldn't afford to stop and apologize when he was doing so well! He jumped onto the side of another nearby building, travelling onto progressively higher constructs. And with one final push, he jumped as far as he could, tucking his shoulder forward for protection as his small frame slammed into the highest window of the Hokage tower.</p><p>Crash!</p><p>"YES!"</p><p>"What the-"</p><p>The Sandaime quietly observed the blond youth that had just barreled through his window and surprised his guest behind intertwined fingers. With a light groan, Naruto picked himself up and rubbed the back of his head.</p><p>"Naruto. What's the meaning of this?"</p><p>The Uzumaki grinned broadly and placed his hands on his hips. "The meaning of this, old man, is that I just beat my best time!" He finally turned around to face the Hokage. "And I beat my last score by an entire twenty..."</p><p>He trailed off as he noticed an extra person inside the office who was giving him a strange look. Sarutobi pinched the bridge of his nose in exasperation. "I am in a meeting, you impetuous child."</p><p>Naruto faced the Hokage and scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "Heheh, My bad."</p><p>Hiruzen groaned and turned back towards his guest. "Urimono-san, a Chunin guard outside will escort you to the market district, you will be able to replenish your stocks there.</p><p>"A-Ah, right. Thank you Hokage-Sama." The merchant sent one last look towards Naruto's direction before taking his leave. The third Hokage gave a weary sigh as he turned his attention towards the nervous looking jinchūriki.</p><p>"Naruto. How many times have I told you to not barge in like that?"</p><p>"Sorry old man."</p><p>"I mean, really. What if I was in an important meeting? How would I look in front of the Daimyo or an allied leader if they saw that I can't even keep my own citizen in check?"</p><p>"I said I'm sorry."</p><p>"For goodness sake. It's like it's in your genes to give this poor man a hard time."</p><p>Naruto looked at the Hokage strangely. "But I'm not wearing any jeans…"</p><p>"…Hngh." The Hokage shook his head in exasperation. He really needed to curb his vocabulary when he talked to Naruto, sometimes he forgot he was only six.</p><p>"Hey old man, I-"</p><p>"Hold that thought," The monkey summoner reached for a package that was on his desk and gave it a quick glance over. Making sure that everything was in order, he nodded and gestured the blond child over. "I apologize for giving you your gift so late, but I had pressing matters to attend to. Happy birthday, Naruto."</p><p>The young jinchūriki looked at the package in surprise. "T-Thanks old man!" He still wasn't used to receiving presents. Nevertheless, he smiled bashfully and quickly opened it.</p><p>The old hokage smiled as Naruto freed the jacket from within its plastic confines. "Well my boy, what do you think? I remember you telling me that orange was your favourite colour."</p><p>Naruto stared at the orange monstrosity that was being held in his hands with mouth agape and poorly veiled shock. "Old man…This is…" Orange WAS his favourite colour, but this…Wasn't this a bit too much!?</p><p>Sarutobi smiled, oblivious to the boy's horror. "Well? Do you like it? Try it on!"</p><p>"Y-Yeah, I love it, thank you!" Smiling nervously, the young Uzumaki folded the jacket and tucked it under his arm. "I'll try it on a bit later if that's okay with you, I actually had something I wanted to ask."</p><p>The Hokage nodded and leaned back into his chair. "Ah, that's right. Well then, what can I help you with?"</p><p>"Well, um…" the whiskered boy fumbled nervously. "I was wondering if you knew a ninja called Kakashi?"</p><p>It was hard not to notice the immediate tension that settled in the room once those words had left his mouth. All of a sudden, it felt like the temperature had dropped several degrees. A slight frown marred the Hokage's face.</p><p>Hiruzen carefully observed the face of the Uzumaki in front of him. "I do know the man that you are talking about. What is your issue with him?"</p><p>"Ah, no issue! I'd just like to find him, that's all! I read he was the student of the fourth, so I kinda wanna see what he's like, ya know?"</p><p>"So, you would like to know about his whereabouts then?"</p><p>The blond nodded vigorously. "Yeah, that's right!"</p><p>The Hokage narrowed his eyes slightly. "You're not hiding anything from me, are you?"</p><p>Naruto gulped nervously and quickly shook his head. "No sir!"</p><p>Sarutobi stayed silent for a few more minutes. Technically, Kakashi wasn't prohibited to interact with the boy outside of his ANBU hours. But still, part of him couldn't help but feel apprehensive about it.</p><p>"Kakashi is a very busy person Naruto, one of our best. He is on a mission right now at the fire temple and shall return tomorrow. When he has not been assigned a mission however, he can usually be found either at the memorial stone or resting at his home, which is opposite to Kinta-san's literature shop." The third hummed thoughtfully. "Although," he began. "I have a feeling that if you're looking for him, then he probably already knows it."</p><p>Naruto nodded gratefully and tried his best to ignore that last part. Man, that sounded creepy. "Alright, thanks old man! I'll try this jacket on at home alright? See ya!" He quickly placed his foot on the windowsill and launched himself out.</p><p>Sarutobi sighed, his gaze remaining on the outside world. 'What are you going to reveal to him, Kakashi?' There were no actual laws prohibiting people to tell Naruto about his heritage, but it was still a consensus among those who knew that he was just not ready for that kind of knowledge yet.</p><p>The Hokage's thoughtful stare morphed into one of slight annoyance as he looked over at a seemingly random corner of his office. "I don't know whether it's a good or bad thing that my ANBU don't even react to Naruto's sudden entrances anymore."</p><p>He received no answer, but the light noise of fabric shuffling nervously told him more than enough.</p><p>—</p><p>Naruto stuffed his hands inside the pockets of his black shorts in annoyance as he walked along the streets of Konoha. 'Man, this Kakashi guy isn't even here right now, this sucks…'</p><p>He groaned and casually placed his hands behind his head as he stared at the sky in boredom. "What to do, what to do…" His half-lidded gaze turned towards the sound of a shop's rolling metal gate being lifted up. Huh, he recognised that place. The man owning the shop had overcharged him for a pack of lollies once.</p><p>A grin slowly crept onto his face. Oh, he knew what he would do.</p><p>—</p><p>"You damned hoodlum, you're gonna pay for this!"</p><p>The running form of Naruto grinned and looked over his shoulder, using his index finger to mockingly pull down onto his bottom eyelid. "Catch me if you can, loser!"</p><p>The shopkeeper growled and looked at the street his shop resided in. He, along with several of his neighbours have had faces and insults drawn on their walls in bright red paint, courtesy of their resident Jinchūriki.</p><p>"Was it him again?" a villager complained in annoyance.</p><p>"Yeah, the boy whose name is taboo."</p><p>"He's made a big mess." Sighed the owner of an artisanal shop. The villager standing next to him nodded and glared at the boy in the distance.</p><p>"Even if we want to file a complaint, he doesn't have any parents that we can complain to."</p><p>The Uzumaki's grin slowly faded into a half-hearted smile. He couldn't let these people see how hurtful those words were. Their opinion on him wouldn't change anyway.</p><p>"What a nuisance."</p><p>"He's so unpleasant."</p><p>"I'll say."</p><p>"He's such a pain."</p><p>Yet despite that, he couldn't help the sad frown that managed to worm its way onto his face.</p><p>—</p><p>"Shikamaru! Quit lazing around!"</p><p>"Troublesome."</p><p>He didn't know why, but he somehow found himself near the playground next door to the shinobi academy.</p><p>He knew that he shouldn't come here, it was bad for his mental health. Every time he did, he'd leave feeling sad and dejected. And he had a feeling today would be no different.</p><p>"Leave Shika alone, Ino." Chided a plump boy with red swirls on his cheeks. 'Ino' merely hmph'd and crossed her arms.</p><p>Naruto watched as children his age and over played within the playground. There was a boy with a spiky ponytail lazily lying down and staring up at the evening sun. Next to him was a small bossy looking girl with platinum hair and aquamarine eyes.</p><p>Looking further into the playground, he could see a kid with wild brown hair and red upside-down triangles on his cheeks chasing after a tiny white puppy. Two other girls were playing on a see-saw. A kid yelled in excitement as he chased after his friends in their game of tag.</p><p>Maybe…Maybe today would be different? Maybe he could walk in and ask to play, and they would smile and invite him into their games?</p><p>I'm sorry, mommy says I shouldn't play with you.</p><p>'Heh.' Naruto closed his eyes and made his way out of the play area. 'As if that would ever happen.'</p><p>—</p><p>By the time he got to his apartment, it was already night-time. Stuffing his hand in his pocket, he fished around in it and pulled out the key to his door. Sighing, he inserted the key in and turned the lock, opening the door, and stepping inside.</p><p>"I'm home." He muttered to himself. His words seemed to echo in the empty apartment, the silence bringing his mood down even more.</p><p>The Jinchūriki got started on his dinner as hot tears trailed down his face.</p><p>—</p><p>"…What am I doing back here?"</p><p>Naruto stared at the giant metal bars of the nine tails in confusion. Why was he here? He hadn't been looking for the warm feeling earlier.</p><p>Today had sucked. Not only were his plans to get his long-desired answers rescheduled, his overall mood had been even worse than usual. He didn't know why, but the sting of loneliness had hit him extra hard that time, and the bad thoughts were starting to make their way in once again.</p><p>After coming home and heating himself some ramen, the blond boy had immediately gone to bed, hoping to sleep through the rest of the evening. He'd only been in bed for a few minutes before he felt himself getting pulled within his consciousness.</p><p>The nine tails observed him with contempt. The cage itself seemed to not be as dark as it was before, so the fox was easily distinguishable from within. His massive head rested on his folded paws -or were those hands?-, his nine long tails twitching here and there in idle annoyance.</p><p>"Why have you returned here, human?" The fox snarled out irritably. Naruto looked up at him in slight apprehension and shrugged helplessly. There was none of that suffocating pressure this time, he wondered why that was?</p><p>"I'm as confused as you are." Kyuubi growled out in annoyance. As if being stuck in this human's body wasn't enough, he now had to endure him coming in and out of the seal all the damn time. The fox decided to just close his eyes and ignore the blond boy for now.</p><p>'…Now what?' The Uzumaki thought in slight consternation. Every time he'd been here in the past, the fox had ended up forcibly kicking him out. He sure as hell didn't know how to get out on his own. So, after a few moments of hesitation, the young boy slowly sat down onto the wet floor of his mind and watched the nine tails closely.</p><p>He'd never actually looked at the fox before. Sure, he'd seen him in the past and in drawings, but those times, he was either too terrified or didn't care enough to pay close attention. Looking at him now, he didn't seem all that bad…If you ignored the fact that he was the size of a small mountain, or the fact that he had 9 giant tails, or the fact that his hands looked freakishly human-like.</p><p>But looking at him now, almost looking like he was sleeping, his eyes closed and head resting on his paws in such an animal-like fashion, his giant ear flicking every now and then, his tails moving about randomly. Why was he so afraid of that giant ball of fur again?</p><p>"So, um…" Began Naruto as he swallowed thickly. "Mister nine-tails-"</p><p>A sudden, familiar wave of pressure made him stop mid-sentence. Ah. That was why. Kyuubi snapped a single eye open and glared at the much smaller human. "Do not call me that." He rumbled angrily.</p><p>Naruto nodded his head quickly and brought his hands up in a placating manner. "Okay okay!" The fox glared at him for a few more seconds before he closed his eyes once more, the pressure disappearing along with the action.</p><p>The blond jinchūriki took in some much-needed air as he wiped his now sweaty forehead with the back of his sleeve. Looking up at the kyuubi once more, he continued. "Kyuubi," Said bijuu cracked a single eye open. "Can I ask you a question?"</p><p>Kyuubi remained silent as he continued to glare at the boy. Well, that wasn't a no…</p><p>"I was wondering…Why did you attack Konoha?"</p><p>The mighty demon fox lifted his head as a smirk pulled its way onto his lips. "You think I need a reason to attack your pathetic little village?"</p><p>Naruto quickly shook his head. "No, it's just…" The whiskered boy frowned in thought. "I'm just trying to understand…The last time I was here, you called us humans 'ants'," the fox looked at the boy from the corner of his eye. "and I don't know if it's the same with bijuus," he continued "but when we humans run into ants, or a colony of ants, we usually just ignore them, y'know? Because they're so small and weak, there's no point in killing them. But it's when the ants act aggressive and sting us that we start fighting back. So…"</p><p>The nine tails narrowed his eye. "What is your point, human?"</p><p>The blond frowned slightly at the fox. "I don't know, it just feels like there's more to this whole thing. It's hard to think that you'd go out of your way to attack our village for no reason." His expression soured slightly. "Plus, it feels like nothing I've been told so far is the truth anymore, everything is just lies after lies."</p><p>"…" Kyuubi regarded his warden with a critical eye. None of his previous containers had ever asked him anything like that before. Tch, humans and their emotions.</p><p>"If I tell you, will you cease your pathetic attempts to 'understand me'?"</p><p>"Yes." Pfft, no. He wanted to learn more about this! He had a feeling that this was his only chance to learn about something that very few knew of.</p><p>The great beast heaved another annoyed sigh, his breath ruffling the clothes and hair of the small boy and nearly making him fall over. Stupid fox.</p><p>"I was taken out of my previous container" the bijuu said gruffly. "Some man used that accursed uchiha eye to place me under a spell and forced me to attack your village for him."</p><p>"Wait wait wait, I'm not your first container!?" The boy interrupted. The giant fox glared down at him, making Naruto scratch the back of his head sheepishly. "Sorry..."</p><p>Kyuubi huffed aggressively. "To answer your question, no, you are not my first container." A look of anger appeared on the fox's face, his lips pulling into another snarl. "I've had three containers in total. And I've been passed down, from one container to another like some type of family heirloom." The great beast looked absolutely offended as he glared towards the boy again. "Do you know what that's like, warden? I've been imprisoned for nearly 60 years, used as a glorified power source from my containers without so much as a kind word. I am tired, human."</p><p>No wonder this big guy was so angry. 60 years was a long time…</p><p>"…Is that why you killed my parents?" Naruto asked softly. "Because you wanted your freedom?"</p><p>The nine tails closed his eyes and placed his head on his paws once more. "Leave me be now, human. I've answered your questions."</p><p>Naruto looked around hesitantly. "Sure…"</p><p>…</p><p>"I don't know how to leave…" He finished lamely.</p><p>That earned him another glare.</p><p>—</p><p>"Okay, so…The old man said that Kakashi should be either at the memorial stone or at his house. God, I hope he's at his house." The memorial stone was on the other damn side of Konoha!</p><p>So here he was, making his way to where he remembered seeing Kinta's book shop at 8am. And after 10 more minutes of walking, he'd finally arrived. 'Man, I should've asked old man Hokage what he looks like…' He mentally berated himself.</p><p>'Opposite to Kinta's shop.' He looked over at the little shop with the faded green painting and turned his head around to the house directly in front of it. 'Is this it?' The house itself looked barely big enough to fit one person, the guy clearly didn't care about living luxuriously.</p><p>Leaning against the house was a man with familiar lopsided silver hair -though he couldn't quite remember where he'd seen it before- and the laziest eye he'd ever seen on anyone. In his hand was a book with a green cover and an illustration of what looked like a guy chasing a girl. The shinobi had a dark blue facemask hiding half of his features and a headband that slanted down and covered his left eye, giving him an even more mysterious feel.</p><p>Slowly making his way towards the man, the Uzumaki stopped a few paces besides him and stared at his face, or what he could see of it at least.</p><p>"…" The masked man looked away from his book to glance at the blond boy with a lazy eye. "Need something, kid?"</p><p>Naruto blinked. "Are you…Kakashi?" He asked hesitantly.</p><p>Kakashi turned his attention back towards his book. "The one and only."</p><p>"…Why are you leaning against your own house?"</p><p>The masked man shrugged. "I just felt like leaning here."</p><p>The whiskered boy looked at him strangely. "That's kinda weird."</p><p>Kakashi stayed silent and kept reading his book. Seeing he wouldn't get an answer, he pressed on.</p><p>"Is it true you were trained by the fourth?"</p><p>The ANBU commander looked over at the blond from the corner of his eye. "That is true."</p><p>At that, Naruto began to fidget nervously. "Do you, ah…Do you mind if I ask you a few questions?</p><p>Kakashi flipped a page of his book. "Depends on the questions." He looked over to the smaller boy and saw the angry pout forming on his lips. The grey-haired teenager chuckled and snapped his book closed, pocketing it in his pouch. "I'm only kidding. What did you want to ask me?"</p><p>The young boy looked up at the ANBU commander as the taller of the two crouched down to be at his eye level. He tried his best to come up with a believable question that wouldn't make him get caught, he had to be discreet about this! "Well um…I wanted to know if you knew why he would do…Certain things?"</p><p>The Jōnin quirked an eyebrow. "What do you mean by 'certain things'?"</p><p>"Well…Let's say you're at a birthday party," The blond began. "And someone had to cut the cake. Would the fourth choose a random person to cut it? Or would he pick the person that would cut the best?"</p><p>"Hmm." Kakashi held his chin thoughtfully. "Lord fourth was a pretty smart and analytic person. I believe he would know the individual skills of everyone at the party and pick the person best suited for the job."</p><p>Naruto frowned at that. "I see…" So, the fourth knew about everyone beforehand and would pick the best person for the task? That just raised even more questions. What was his connection to the Yondaime? Why would HE be chosen of all people?</p><p>Kakashi observed the small blond. He had to resist the urge of ruffling his hair at the sight of his little brother figure with his head cocked to the side in deep thought. He really was a cute kid.</p><p>"So…" The grey-haired man began slowly. "How long have you known about the nine-tails?"</p><p>The Uzumaki's head snapped towards Kakashi so fast that he almost gave himself whiplash. So much for discretion…</p><p>"How-"</p><p>"-Did I know?" Kakashi finished for him. "It was a clever disguise, but given your status, it's pretty easy to make the connection." Seeing the panic quickly growing on the little boy's face, he added; "Don't worry, I won't tell lord Third if that's what you're worried about."</p><p>Naruto looked startled at that. "You're not?"</p><p>The Jōnin's eye curved up into a smile. "Nope."</p><p>He didn't believe that for one second. His life up until now had only been a series of lies."…4 months." He muttered after a few seconds of hesitation.</p><p>"Hm?"</p><p>"I've known about it for 4 months." He admitted.</p><p>Kakashi hummed. "I see."</p><p>"So then, why did the fourth choose me? It's hard to believe that there wouldn't be better options, y'know?"</p><p>The masked man considered that question. He had to be careful with what he revealed. He did want to tell the boy everything one day, but he wasn't ready just yet. "Minato-sensei saw something in you that night. He believed that you would be able to handle the Kyuubi's power better than anyone."</p><p>But WHY!? Naruto still didn't know why, and no one would give him a straight answer. But he had a feeling that he wouldn't get one today.</p><p>"What about my parents then?" The blond asked softly as he looked down in sadness. "Did they just let him seal it into me? What kind of parent does that? Did they even care about me at all?"</p><p>He was startled though when he felt a hand land on top of his head and ruffle his golden locks.</p><p>"Your parents loved you more than anything else in this world."</p><p>And there it was. Just as he'd feared, he had said too much. But he'd be damned if he let the boy think that his parents hadn't cared for him. In all his years as a shinobi, Kakashi had never seen Minato and Kushina more excited about anything else than taking care of this child.</p><p>Naruto looked up at him in surprise. His parents loved him? Like, really really loved him? That thought was surreal, but it made him really happy. He didn't think that anyone would care about him this much. A tight unfamiliar feeling bloomed in his chest as he tried his best to fight away the tears that threatened to pool in the corner of his eyes. "You…You knew my parents?" At the ANBU's nod, the Uzumaki quickly added. "Can you tell me who they were!?"</p><p>"Nope."</p><p>"What? Why not!?"</p><p>"You're not ready." The copy ninja said simply. "I'll tell you when you're a bit older, but not now."</p><p>Naruto looked dejected at that, but quickly lightened up at the prospect of learning about them later on. At least that was better than nothing. "You promise?"</p><p>Kakashi gave him another eye-smile. "I promise."</p><p>The jinchūriki of the nine tails gave the masked man a weak smile as he began to nervously play with his fingers. "Can you…Tell me a bit about them at least?"</p><p>Kakashi chuckled lightly and sat down next to the blond. "Sure, I can do that."</p><p>—</p><p>Turns out he'd inherited his brash and loud personality from his mom as well as his ramen addiction. Kakashi had said that when he had met her for the first time, she had been eating bowl after bowl of the noodly-goodness at a ramen stand. He didn't know why, but that had made him really happy. Somehow with that knowledge, he now felt more connected to his late mother.</p><p>Apparently, he looked a LOT like his father, almost scarily so. He was told that he'd be a carbon copy of him had he longer hair and no whiskers. Maybe that was why he would sometimes catch the old man Hokage staring at him as if he was seeing a ghost?</p><p>"Hey, Kakashi?"</p><p>"Hmm?"</p><p>"You're strong, right?"</p><p>The ANBU commander hummed. "I get by."</p><p>Naruto nodded his head slowly. "Do you think you could train me?"</p><p>Kakashi looked up at the sky in thought. "You're a prankster, right?" He looked back over to said prankster who was now giving him a curious look. "Prank someone for me and I might consider it."</p><p>"Alright." The blond said after a moment's pause. "Who do you want me to prank?"</p><p>"Maito Gai." Replied Kakashi. The Uzumaki looked down in contemplation as he mulled the name over in his mind.</p><p>"How do you want me to prank him?" After a few seconds with no replies, Naruto looked up at where the ANBU commander was. "Kakashi?" Only…He wasn't there anymore. When had he even left!?</p><p>"Oh, come on!"</p><p>—</p><p>Maito Gai, A-rank Jōnin of Konohagakure, also known as the Green Beast of Konoha. Born on the 1st of January, master of hand-to-hand combat, weighs 76 kg and stands at a height of 184cm. Completed over 700 missions, recently took a protégé under his wing. Preferred food; extra spicy curry. His pass times included training and…Nothing else.</p><p>It was crazy the amount of information one could learn in the Konoha archives.</p><p>'Hmm…What would be the best way to prank this guy?' Pranking was a form of art. You couldn't just find a random person and just use any old run-of-the-mill prank. You had to hit them where it hurt, find out information about them, know what makes them tick and use that against them to add insult to injury. Like a whoopee cushion on old man Hokage's chair. No one would expect someone so important to sit down and let out a loud one.</p><p>As things stood, there wasn't much he could use against this guy. He didn't really dislike anything and all he did was train and train and train. There wasn't much he could work with in his love for Taijutsu, he himself was about as scary as a wet kitten, so that only left out his love for spicy food.</p><p>'I could make him something SUPER spicy…No no, that's too much. I don't want to actually harm him. Hmm, what about…'</p><p>An idea began to form in his head. Yeah, that would work.</p><p>So here he was, 15 minutes later near the gates of Konoha waiting for the "Sublime Green beast of Konoha". In his hands was a plate of what appeared to be freshly made spicy rice curry.</p><p>'I read that he starts his laps near the front gates, so maybe I can find him there.'</p><p>And true to his words, there he was. Doing some sort of over-the-top stretching and screaming something about "youth" was a person wearing green spandex, a bowl cut and the thickest goddamn eyebrows he'd ever seen. Were those things alive!?</p><p>Grinning to himself, he quickly made his way over to the man with the thick eyebrows. "Gai-san!"</p><p>Stopping his stretching, Gai turned towards the voice that called out to him and flashed a blindingly bright smile. "What can I help you with, my youthful friend!?"</p><p>'Man, this guy is loud…' "I was told that you liked super spicy curry, so a friend of yours wanted me to give you this!" He held out his hands and presented the plate he was holding.</p><p>"What!? A kind soul made spicy curry just for me!?" The green man bellowed. Tears began to form in his eyes as he took the plate of curry in his hands. "Thank you, my young friend! Such a youthful act cannot go unrewarded! I must find this person and thank them properly!"</p><p>"Actually," Naruto interrupted quickly "They said they preferred to remain anonymous.</p><p>Gai flashed another boisterous grin that seemed to reflect the light of a thousand suns. "Ah, so a mystery fan then!? Well no matter! I will eventually find them, and if I cannot do that, then I shall run a hundred laps around Konoha on my hands! And if I cannot do that, then I will-"</p><p>"Please Gai-san, the curry is getting cold." Interrupted the blond through gritted teeth as he held out a spoon to the man. Seriously, what was up with this guy!?</p><p>A look of horror appeared on the loud man's face. "Oh no, I must not let such youthful behaviour go to waste! I shall devour this entire plate as if it was the last meal I'd ever receive!" Gai took the spoon, scooped up a heaping serving and brought it to his mouth. "Thank you for the meal!"</p><p>…</p><p>Naruto waited with baited breath.</p><p>…</p><p>Gai's hand began to tremble.</p><p>…</p><p>'Did it work?'</p><p>…</p><p>"W-What is this!?" The Jōnin specialist dropped the plate, making it shatter onto the ground. He backed away a few steps, bringing a hand up to cover his mouth in horror as he pointed an accusatory finger at the food on the ground. "This isn't extra spicy rice curry; t-this is just MILDLY spicy curry!"</p><p>'Yes!'</p><p>Gai turned around in horror and pulled onto his hair. "How could I have fallen for such an un-youthful trick!? It seems that my flames of youth have been diminishing during these peaceful times! I must work extra hard to fan those flames back to life once again! And if I cannot do that, then I shall run all the way to Suna on my hands with a boulder attached to my legs!"</p><p>And with that, the Jōnin was gone within the blink of an eye, leaving only a trail of dust in his wake. The blond pumped his fist victoriously. That had totally worked! He had a feeling that a guy like that would have had an over-the-top reaction. And if the two laughing Chūnin over at the booth near the entrance were any indication, then it was a pretty successful prank.</p><p>"Looks like you got him good."</p><p>"Wha!" Naruto spun around in surprise and came face to face(?) with the torso of a green vest. Jumping back a few metres, he gave the ANBU commander an irritated stare. "How do you keep doing that!?"</p><p>Kakashi tilted his head innocently. "Keep doing what?"</p><p>Naruto shook his head. "Never-mind, did you see that!? I got him, I got him!"</p><p>"That you did."</p><p>"So, does this mean that you'll train me now?" Asked the blond in excitement.</p><p>"Hmm…" Kakashi hummed thoughtfully. "Nope."</p><p>The excited grin immediately fell off the boy's face as an indignant look replaced it. "What? Why not!?"</p><p>"I told you I'd think about it, and I thought about it. The answer is no." Seeing the dejected look on the jinchūriki's face, the Jōnin elaborated. "I'm an ANBU commander. Commander of the primary squadron, to be precise." Kakashi explained. "I wouldn't have the time to train you."</p><p>Naruto's gaze fell. "Oh." Well, he supposed it was too good to be true. Still, it wasn't like this was a complete fruitless venture. He did get to learn more about his parents.</p><p>Kakashi placed his hand on top of the kid's head and ruffled his blond hair. "Maah, don't look so down. I can't train you, but I can still give you a crash course."</p><p>The Uzumaki looked back up at the taller man with hope making its way back onto his face. "Really?"</p><p>The copy-ninja eye-smiled at the smaller boy. "Yep. Are you free now?"</p><p>"Yessir!"</p><p>"Good answer, you passed the second test. A good ninja always jumps at the opportunity to learn new skills and to improve oneself, no matter the situation. Now follow me."</p><p>Naruto quickly ran after the Jōnin as he attempted to keep pace with him with his shorter legs. "What do you mean 'second test'? There was a first test?" He asked as he looked up at the grey-haired man.</p><p>"Information gathering on the target, which you passed."</p><p>"Oh." Replied the blond. Well, that was interesting.</p><p>—</p><p>Naruto looked around in wonder at the grassy field that made up training ground 7. He'd seen it before, while he was spying on ninja to pick up whatever skills he could -Not that he got much out of it, he could never remember those weird hand signs they kept making-, but he'd never actually been inside of it. It was quite pretty; the midday sun highlighted the different shades of greens and flowers in a beautiful way.</p><p>He looked back at the man that was accompanying him, who for his part, was just standing there, silent and unmoving.</p><p>"So, what are you gonna teach me first? How to spit fire? How to summon lightning!?" He asked in excitement. "Are you gonna teach me some awesome cool fighting moves!?" The blond did some ridiculous fighting poses that his young mind considered to be "cool".</p><p>Kakashi watched the blond closely. "What do you know right now?"</p><p>"Oh, hm." Naruto paused halfway through a poorly executed back-kick and looked down thoughtfully."Well, there was some kind of clone jutsu that I copied from someone a while back, but I can't do it that well. Other than that…Nothing."</p><p>The copy-ninja observed the younger blond. He was only six, so he wasn't expecting much else. But…</p><p>The life of a jinchūriki was an unforgiving one. There was a reason why the name meant 'Power of Human Sacrifice'. During times of war, they were a village's greatest weapon save for the Kage and could completely turn the tide of a fight. What better way to strike fear into the heart of your enemies than by sicking an angry, seething mass of destruction onto them?</p><p>But even during these peaceful times, Jinchūrikis were ostracized and still treated as weapons, being trained every day to keep their skills sharp, undergoing mental conditioning to bear the weight of a tailed beast's power, learning to control and harness it. They were the epitome of killing machines. They were monsters that had to be the strongest.</p><p>And if war ever broke out again, Naruto would have to fight those monsters.</p><p>The blond had to be ready. From the start, he was given an unfair hand. And while that sucked, there was nothing he could do now but fight and survive. And he would make sure that Naruto survived. He would take his own life sooner than he'd let him die in a ditch, killed like a dog by some random shinobi.</p><p>He would not hold his hand, he would not coddle him or baby him, or make him believe that everything could be resolved with peaceful talk and cups of tea. The life of a Shinobi was a grizzly one. In a world where they raised child-soldiers and murdered each other on a day-to-day basis, he had to make sure that he would be ready. As much as it pained him, he couldn't afford to waste any more time. He couldn't let the boy have the childhood that he wished he could have.</p><p>He couldn't do something like that, he didn't have it in him. But perhaps someone else could. Someone who could do what needed to be done.</p><p>Reaching down to his belt, he grabbed hold of his mask and brought it up to his face, clipping it into place. Dog looked over towards the small blond, who was looking back at him curiously.</p><p>"Sooo…You've been silent for a while." The boy looked off to the side. "Are you-"</p><p>A sandal brutally burying itself into his stomach cut the Uzumaki off. The boy cried out in pain as he was violently sent flying away, the back of his head slamming into a tree being the only thing to stop his momentum.</p><p>"Where was your mistake?"</p><p>Naruto painfully opened one eye as he struggled to catch his breath. God, everything hurt. His head was ringing, it hurt to breath, it hurt to not breath, it felt like a part of his stomach had been caved in. Looking up at the monotone sound of the older male's voice, he had to wonder what had just happened. It was still Kakashi standing in front of him, yet it didn't feel like Kakashi. Everything was still there, the hair, the clothes, the blue facemask that he could kind of see around the edges of the dog mask.</p><p>All was the same besides that mask.</p><p>The person standing in front of him felt completely different. While Kakashi stood with a slight slouch and a lazy feel, this man was standing rigid and at the ready, a cold and terrifying aura surrounding his body. What the heck had just happened?</p><p>"My…My mistake?" He struggled to get out.</p><p>"You took your eyes off the enemy."</p><p>"B-but you're not my enemy!" Wheezed out the blond.</p><p>Dog said nothing in reply and slowly stalked his way forward. What was this? Was this the crash course he was talking about? He didn't like the idea of training all that much anymore, he felt scared. That pressure surrounding the man was so familiar yet unfamiliar.</p><p>"Get up." The ANBU commander said coldly.</p><p>Naruto panted harshly. "I-I don't think I can…"</p><p>"You said you wanted to be strong, right?" Dog snarled. "Stronger than anyone."</p><p>How did he know that? He'd only said that to himself while he was at home.</p><p>"Then, get up!" Dog disappeared from his view, and it was only his instincts screaming at him to move away that saved him from a deadly stomp that cracked the earth beneath. Frantically standing back up, he crossed his arms protectively in front of his chest as a powerful kick connected with his forearms, fracturing his bones and sending him flying once more.</p><p>Naruto's head was swimming. His arms hung limply at his sides as he felt pain everywhere unlike anything he's ever felt before. His chest felt numb, his breathing ragged as tears of pain stung the corners of his eyes. He weakly lifted his head to look at the approaching ANBU with tired eyes. No…He couldn't fight it anymore. His eyes closed slowly as his brain finally granted him blissful darkness.</p><p>Dog stopped in his tracks as he watched the boy's head droop into unconsciousness. With a sigh, he brought a hand up to his mask and pulled it off his face, returning it to his belt.</p><p>Perhaps he'd been a little harsh, but it was necessary. After all, one didn't repeat the same mistakes again when pain was a penalty.</p><p>Kakashi sat down next to the blond and rummaged through his pouch for medical supplies. 'Not that it even matters,' He thought. 'The kyuubi will probably take care of those by the time I'm done applying them.'</p><p>—</p><p>Naruto slowly blinked his eyes opened. God, what had happened to him? He felt like he just got ran over by one of those big trains he'd heard about from the land of snow.</p><p>Memories soon came back to him. That's right, he received a total beat down by Kakashi. What the hell was all that about? Wincing at his throbbing head, he placed a hand against his temple to try to ease the pain and looked up, finding the masked man sitting a few paces away from him, legs crossed and facing away from him towards the direction of the village.</p><p>"Welcome back." He said plainly.</p><p>Naruto quickly crawled back, making sure he was a safe distance away. He didn't know if that guy was going to start beating the hell out of him again, so he had to be careful. But looking at him now, his demeanour seemed to have gone back to his normal self, if not a little more subdued. He glanced down at the object hanging from his belt. Was it that mask? Kakashi's personality had changed as soon as he had put it on and now, he was back to normal once more.</p><p>"I know you're afraid of me right now," Naruto looked up at the back of the shinobi, who still hadn't turned around to face him. "But please trust me when I tell you that this is the quickest way."</p><p>The blond boy brought his knees up to his chest and wrapped his arms around them for comfort. The quickest way? What did he mean by that?</p><p>"I know you did your research," Kakashi continued. "You know what being a jinchūriki entails." Naruto looked down at that.</p><p>"I want you to be ready." The copy ninja said. "I want you to be able to take care of yourself, which is why I'm being so harsh on you right now. It's only against the worst odds possible that a shinobi truly shines. This is how you become strong. You fight, you survive, you adapt. And the next time, you won't be the one that will be trying to survive."</p><p>Kakashi slowly stood up and dusted his pants. Naruto looked up once more at the taller male before his gaze drifted back to his belt, eyeing the mask hanging from it. "That mask…What is it?"</p><p>The ANBU commander looked back at the boy. "That mask is my duty. That mask is what lets me do what needs to be done. When there is something that Kakashi, Jōnin of the hidden leaf can't do, then I put on this mask and let Dog take over."</p><p>"Dog…? Are you kidding me?" Naruto frowned up at the man. "It's just a mask. Nothing changes when you put this on, it's still you."</p><p>"It's much more than just a mask." Kakashi reached behind into his pouch and pulled out his green book from earlier. "It's what keeps me sane. It lets me be able to look my friends in the eyes and be able to genuinely smile with them."</p><p>The blond stared up at the Jōnin in disbelief, who only chuckled in return. "I don't expect you to understand right now. But maybe you will one day. For now though…" Kakashi reached into his pouch once more and pulled a rolled up scroll out from within. "I want you to get stronger. I can't train you, but I can point you in the right direction." He tossed the scroll over to Naruto, who only managed to raise his hands up to catch it before it whacked him on the head.</p><p>"I will find you again in one year. Until then, train your body. Train until you sweat and bleed. Train until your muscles are begging you to stop. Train until you can't anymore. And in one year, we will meet once more."</p><p>And with that, the mysterious shinobi was gone. Looking down at the scroll in his hands, Naruto unfurled it and saw that it contained a list of training exercises.</p><p>'Running, air punches, air kicks, rock throws…He wants me to do the exercises on this list for a whole year?' The blond wasn't too sure, but that seemed like the most logical explanation.</p><p>His eyes went back towards where the masked ninja had been before. Was this really the path he wanted to take? This felt like a turning point, where whichever decision he took would change his life forever.</p><p>Naruto glanced back down at the scroll in his hands. He promised to himself that he would be stronger, and now he'll promise to himself that next time, he'll put up a better fight. His grip around the scroll tightened as determination shone within his eyes.</p><p>He had work to do.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Training</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>'95, 96, 97, 98, 99, 100!'</p><p>"Aah!" A young boy exclaimed as he fell onto his back in exhaustion. Man, those high kicks were tough. Taking in loud gulps of air, half lidded blue eyes stared up at the midday sky.</p><p>It had been 6 months since his crash-course with Kakashi. 6 months since his training had begun. Six months since he'd started pushing himself harder and harder every day.</p><p>His new training regimen took some getting used to, but he eventually managed to find a good rhythm. Using the tips and advices in the scroll that the ANBU commander had left him with, Naruto had sorted every exercise into a weekly routine.</p><p>Every Monday morning, he'd wake up at 7:00am and run a few laps around training ground 7. Once he was sufficiently warmed up, he would then proceed to practice his kicks and punches on a wooden post by doing 100 punches on each arm and 100 high kicks on each leg.</p><p>After that was rock throw practice. Because he was too young to be handling sharp objects, he was stuck with practicing with decent sized rocks roughly the size of a golf ball. He'd draw a target on a nearby tree and tried his best to throw the rock as close to possible to the middle point. After each successful attempt, he'd go back a foot, doing so until he couldn't hit the centre anymore.</p><p>Tuesdays were his physical building training. First he would run a full lap around Konoha (man, that part sucked! Konoha was big as hell), and once he was done and his blood was pumping, he would proceed to do 50 sit ups, 50 push-ups, 50 squats and 50 pull ups.</p><p>Thursdays were his chakra control practice days. At around 9am, he would come to training ground 7 to meditate for an hour. The scroll that Kakashi had given him contained a few helpful tips in doing so. The idea of the exercise was to look within himself and get a better feel and understanding on the way that his chakra felt and worked, to visualize the amount that was contained within his body, know his limits and be able to differentiate which parts of his chakra were "good" and which ones were "bad".</p><p>Thursdays and Fridays were similar to Mondays and Tuesdays respectively. His weekends were used as rest days, where he'd allow his body to heal and grow stronger. Strangely enough, he'd never gotten any sore muscles the following day, always feeling as fresh as a daisy when he woke up. Weird. Instead, the scroll had instructed him to spend his Saturdays at a library and read everything he could about history and anatomy, making his sparse vocabulary a bit more distinguished.</p><p>Much to his consternation, more than 60% of his ramen stock had been thrown out and his fridge that was once mostly empty all the time was now full of different types of fruits and vegetables, with his little freezer containing frozen meats. Naruto could not believe the audacity of these ANBU. First they broke into his apartment, and now they took his ramen and replaced it with vegetables!? Just what was the world coming to, where a man couldn't enjoy the small things in life anymore? And if that infuriating henohenomoheji scribbled into the wall of his kitchen was any indication, then he knew exactly who the culprit was! Oh, he was so gonna make him pay in 6 months' time!</p><p>Even though the exercises were, in the small boy's opinion, 'boring and totally not ninja-like', he'd taken solace in the fact that he did notice some differences. He could now complete his sets in the afternoon without stopping half-way, and he could run faster and for a longer period of time. His kicks felt stronger, his punches faster, his chakra calmer and less erratic than it used to be. Even though he was doing great progress, he couldn't help but hope that next year would bring more exciting training.</p><p>Opening his eyes, the blond boy heaved a small sigh as he pushed himself back onto his feet. 'Alright, next up is rock throws. My best score so far is 13 meters, so all I have to do is-'</p><p>Crunch!</p><p>Naruto spun around in surprise and looked upon the bewildered face of a boy around his age with dark hair that spiked up at the back of his head. God, his sixth sense really was getting rusty now that he wasn't living on the street anymore. It wasn't his fault, no one usually came to this training ground!</p><p>"What are you doing?" asked the boy with black hair.</p><p>Naruto looked at him uneasily. "Training…" He replied cautiously. "What are you doing?"</p><p>The other kid's thoughtful frown morphed into an excited smile. "I'm hiding from my nii-san!" He ran to one of the many trees that were within training ground 7 and placed his hands on the bark, looking up high into the canopy. "He's off duty today, so he agreed to play hide and seek with me."</p><p>"…" The blond boy remained silent as he watched the unknown newcomer start climbing the length of the trunk. Once he reached the first set of branches, he looked back down at Naruto and placed his index finger in front of his lips in a shushing motion. "Shhh, don't tell him you saw me!"</p><p>"Sure…" Naruto slowly turned back towards the pile of rock he was about to use for his target practice. The other kid wasn't doing anything wrong, and he seemed friendly enough. He just wasn't used to training while someone else was there, it messed with his concentration! 'Ugh, let's just get this over with.'</p><p>He picked up a few rocks and walked 10 meters away from the target carved onto the tree. Placing down the rocks at his feet but keeping one in his hand, he took his throwing stance and glared at his mark.</p><p>With a small grunt, he threw the rock and watched it sail through the air, impacting the tree bark with a dull thunk. So close! He was within the target, but he was still a few centimeters off the middle. He threw a couple more. Two of them were a bit closer while one was a bit further than the rest. He let out a frustrated sigh. None of them had hit the center yet. He got into his throwing stance once more and pulled his arm back, getting ready to throw the rock again.</p><p>"Your arm isn't straight enough."</p><p>"Aah!" Naruto spun around in surprise for the second time that day, his hand that had been drawn back continuing the throwing motion despite his sudden shift in movement. The blond watched on helplessly as the rock flew towards the newcomer, though his fears were for naught as said newcomer didn't even flinch, his hand effortlessly shooting up to catch the rock.</p><p>The new person looked like an older version of the kid from earlier, though his hair was longer and tied into a small ponytail, line marks adorned his face starting from under his eyes and reaching past his nose.</p><p>Naruto took a cautious step back, being instantly unnerved by the guy in front of him. Earlier, he hadn't expected anyone to enter the training ground, so it was understandable that someone had managed to sneak up on him. But this time, his guard had been fully up, and the newcomer had still managed to get past his senses.</p><p>"Wh-Who are you?" He silently cursed himself for the slight tremor in his voice.</p><p>The man just smiled back pleasantly at him. "Itachi." He replied simply. He gestured towards the target with a nod of his head and repeated; "Your arm isn't straight enough; it's flailing around too much, and your overall stance is too rigid. You need to relax a little."</p><p>Naruto stared at the man in uncertainty. When Itachi saw that the boy wasn't about to move, he walked closer until he was a few meters away from him and crossed his arms. "Go on, try again."</p><p>The Uzumaki gulped slightly and slowly turned back around. Well, it's not like he had anything to lose. Getting back into his stance, he relaxed his body slightly and held his arm straighter. He pulled his hand back, getting ready to throw but was interrupted once more.</p><p>"Wait."</p><p>"Huh?" He looked back towards Itachi.</p><p>"Your leg." The man said "Bend it forward a bit more."</p><p>Naruto did so and looked back towards him for confirmation. Seeing him nod, he stared ahead at the target once more and threw the rock at it, making sure to keep his arm straight.</p><p>Thunk! Well, it didn't hit dead center but it was still much closer than his previous attempts. The blond allowed himself a small smile as he turned back around to face the older man.</p><p>"Thanks, um…Itachi." The Uchiha elder just nodded and walked towards the tree that the younger boy from earlier had climbed up.</p><p>"Sasuke," He called out looking up into the canopy. "Come on down and introduce yourself."</p><p>All was silent for a few seconds before a branch on the tree rustled and out popped the head of the younger boy, who's face now sported a small pout. "Man, how did you know I was here?"</p><p>Itachi didn't reply as he turned back towards Naruto while Sasuke slowly made his way back down the tree. "What's your name?" He asked, feigning ignorance. Everyone in ANBU knew who the blond boy was, he had become something of a fan favorite amongst the units, his antics being greatly amusing to the silent protectors.</p><p>Naruto looked down bashfully andbowed his head slightly. "I'm Naruto Uzumaki, sir."</p><p>The teenager turned his head towards the younger boy that had finally made it down the tree and placed his hand on top of his head, much tohis displeasure. "This is my little brother, Sasuke Uchiha." Itachi pulled his hand away as Sasuke tried to swat at it. "And I'm Itachi Uchiha, it's a pleasure to meet you Naruto-kun."</p><p>Naruto looked up at the 12-year-old. "Uchiha…I've heard that name before."</p><p>"Of course you have!" Sasuke interjected loudly. "The Uchiha clan is the most prestigious clan of Konoha, everyone knows who they are- gaah!" He was cut off by his older brother's fist coming down lightly on top of his head.</p><p>"It's about time you went back home, Sasuke. Mother will get worried otherwise."</p><p>Sasuke huffed lightly but complied, running off towards the entrance to the training grounds. "Bye nii-san, see you Naruto!"</p><p>Naruto waved back at him awkwardly watching him leave as Itachi turned back towards the blond to observe him with a critical eye. "Naruto-kun, may I ask you a question?"</p><p>Naruto turned back towards the Uchiha. "What is it?"</p><p>Itachi paused for a second, as if considering what to say. "What drives you to be training at your age?"</p><p>Naruto blinked in bewilderment. "What drives me?"</p><p>The Uchiha nodded. "You train to be strong, correct? Why do you wish to be strong?"</p><p>He frowned and looked down at the floor. "It's more than just wanting to be strong Itachi-san. I need to be strong." He looked up at the prodigy. "If I don't become strong to protect myself, then who will?" He walked back towards the target, collecting his rocks once more. "Besides," he continued "I'm gonna become a ninja when I'm older, and Konoha needs a strong Jinchūriki. At least that's what people say."</p><p>This boy would become a great shinobi, Itachi was sure of that. His potential seemed enormous. Uzumakis in general were something to be feared, with their seemingly unending reserves and high longevity. Not only that, but he contained the strongest of the bijuu within him, and was already mature enough to understand what it would mean to become a ninja. All he needed was a guiding hand.</p><p>"You want to impress him, don't you?" Naruto froze at that and turned back towards Itachi as he continued, "you want to prove to him that you can become strong, that you are someone that would be worth training."</p><p>Naruto quickly turned away once more and went back to his stack of rocks. "I don't know what you're talking about."</p><p>Itachi smiled. "Naruto-kun" He called out, getting the blond's attention again. "Watch me closely."</p><p>The young boy watched on as the taller man laced his fingers together in some strange symbol, with his index and middle fingers extended. He blinked in wonder. Was this another one of those jutsu?</p><p>Itachi was gone. When had he left? He had no idea. He had blinked and suddenly he wasn't there anymore, vanishing like he was never there to begin with.</p><p>"This, Naruto-kun," He heard to his right as he turned around to see the Uchiha on a tree branch, 20 meters away from his previous spot. "is a move that a close friend of mine enjoys quite a lot and has perfected to its maximum capacity."</p><p>'Woah, so cool!' Naruto thought in amazement as Itachi hopped down from the tree and walked back towards him.</p><p>"By using this move, a ninja can travel short to long distances depending on your mastery of the technique and how much chakra you put in it. It's accomplished by using the tiger sign, which you saw me do earlier, to temporarily vitalize your body to move at extreme speeds." Explained Itachi. "Beginners who first use this move must use hand signs and a puff of smoke is usually accompanied with it. However, if you refine it until you don't need hand signs anymore and you can use it without making any smoke, it becomes quite the deadly move during a combat."</p><p>The whiskered boy looked at him in wonder. "Does it have a name?"</p><p>Itachi smiled back at him. "Everything has a name, Naruto-kun. People, animals, objects, techniques."</p><p>'Even demons?' Thought the blond boy curiously.</p><p>The Uchiha continued; "This one is called the Body Flicker technique. He gestured towards the smaller blond. "Now you try it."</p><p>Naruto grinned excitedly as he clumsily put his hands together in a poor imitation of the tiger sign and shouted; "Body flicker!" A big puff of smoke erupted around him and Naruto found himself barely a meter away…Upside down. "Ow!"</p><p>The dark haired ANBU smiled at the blond on the ground. "Clouds of smoke are signs of excessive use of Chakra. You did not need that much for the distance that you covered. Your hand sign was clumsy, and you did not need to shout out the technique. Thinking it has the same effect."</p><p>Naruto slowly stood to his feet as he watched the older man begin to make his way out of the clearing. "I want you to keep practicing it so that you can effortlessly use this move by the end of these six months with no hand signs and no smoke, that way you can give the commander a nice surprise."</p><p>Naruto nodded and smiled. "Thank you Itachi-san!" He turned back towards the training post and grinned to himself in excitement. He could now do two jutsus! The shadow clone -although he still needed a lot of practice for that one- and the body flicker!</p><p>He was gonna be unstoppable. The next match would not end the same way the last one had.</p><p>—</p><p>"How many times must you bother me before you are satisfied?"</p><p>A familiar scene was being played out inside his mindscape,a blond child sitting in front of the cage of a giant fox. Something has been niggling at his mind, ever since his conversation with Itachi.</p><p>Naruto looked up at the face Kyuubi. The fox hadn't blasted him with that weird pressure that time, and he seemed to be less angry and growly than before. He didn't know why, but he was acting different somehow, almost like he was too tired to fight him.</p><p>"I was wondering," Naruto ignored the slight snort of the giant beast. "Someone told me that everything had names, be it objects, animals, techniques." He looked up at the fox that was now watching him in suspicion. "Do you have one as well? Or is it just Kyuubi?"</p><p>Kyuubi narrowed his eyes. No one had ever called him by his name, save for his siblings and the sage. And there was a good reason for it, his name -besides his creation- was the only thing given to him by the one that had brought him into this world, the only man he respected and could call 'father'. It was a sacred thing to him and he doubted that he would ever be telling it to anyone else.</p><p>"My name…" rumbled the nine tails. "Is the one thing that I have from the only man that has earned my respect. It keeps me grounded and is proof that I am my own being, and not just a mindless beast or a weapon of destruction." He glared down at the blond. 'Kyuubi is merely a title given to me by you foolish mortals. You will never knowmy name, human. You have not earned the right, nor will you ever earn it."</p><p>Naruto frowned as his gaze turned back to the wet floor. "Your name must be pretty important to you, huh? But you do have one." A small grin made its way to his face as his eyes met with the fox's once more. "That must mean that someone cared about you enough to give you one!" His grin turned slightly mischievous. "And I'm gonna find out what your name is someday, one way or another. You better believe it!"</p><p>The nine tails snorted and closed his eyes, resting his head on top of his hands once more. Naruto pushed himself up onto his legs and walked a bit closer to the cage. "Hey hey, are there other nine tails? Or are you the only one?"</p><p>"There is only one of me, morsel." Growled out the bijuu, not bothering to open his eyes.</p><p>Naruto's eyes softened. "I see. That must be pretty lonely…"</p><p>A giant eye cracked open, a single red orb staring intensely at the much smaller human. Why couldn't this annoying human just leave him alone!? After a moment's hesitation, the nine tails decided to answer. "I have siblings, though they are different creatures, each having an increasing amount of tails. I am the one with the most."</p><p>The blond nodded slowly. "Yeah, I've heard there were other bijuus…They've all been sealed off as well." He frowned as an angry look appeared on his face, much to the nine tail's interest. "It's not right. Bijuus are living, breathing creatures, just like you. They don't deserve to be imprisoned; they should be free!"</p><p>All was silent in the cage, save for the continuous dripping of the sewers of his mind. The nine tails stared at the blond impassively as said boy shook his head to dismiss his thoughts.</p><p>"What's it like to have siblings?" The nine tails gave a small scoff that nearly toppled the jinchūriki over. Stupid, stupid fox. He was so doing that on purpose.</p><p>"It's like being stuck in a never-ending nightmare of fights, rivalry and continuous bouts for dominance. Especially with Gy-" He stopped suddenly, a frown marring his face as he caught himself before he revealed too much. He wasn't used to this, he hadn't had a long conversation like this with anyone in a while.</p><p>If Naruto noticed his abrupt stop, he didn't show it. Instead, he continued to smile wistfully. "Do you miss them?"</p><p>The nine tails closed his eyes once more in disinterest. "Why would I ever miss those blithering fools?" Even if he said that, the way the fox's tails subtly curled up behind him told the blond boy a whole different story.</p><p>The holder of the nine tails smiled knowingly. He didn't have any siblings, but he was sure that if he did, he would be missing them immensely.</p><p>"And that person who gave you a name…Is he still around?"</p><p>Kyuubi's eyes remained closed. "It's time for you to leave, human. You've overstayed your welcome."</p><p>Naruto grinned sheepishly as he held up two hands placatingly. "Alright alright, no need to snap."</p><p>He turned around and began walking away. Once he reached the middle of the room, he turned back towards the nine tails. "Hey, Kyuubi."</p><p>Kyuubi eyelids cracked open, watching his warden from the corner of his eyes. Said warden gave him a small smile. "I just wanted you to know, I forgive you. For killing my parents, I mean." At the fox's silence, he continued; "You were just trying to be free, and I would've probably done the same in your shoes. So, I can't really be upset."</p><p>"Your forgiveness means nothing to me." Growled out the great beast. Naruto shrugged and offered the fox a peace sign. And after mere moments, vanished from the mindscape.</p><p>The nine tails stared at the spot that the blond boy was in for a few seconds before closing his eyes and placing his head on his hands once more.</p><p>—</p><p>"Thanks, Midori-san!" A blond youth yelled over his shoulder as he ran out of the weapon's shop. Today marked the last day of his training regimen given to him by the mysterious bipolar commander, and to celebrate, he had bought himself his very first kunai. The now 7-year-old ran through the streets of Konoha, the midday sun shining its rays upon the populace of the village hidden in the leaves.</p><p>'Gotta get there in time!' He was cutting it close. He was supposed to be meeting Kakashi back at training ground 7 at exactly the same time that they had arrived there the previous year which was in exactly 3 minutes. But with his training, he was now able to travel at much greater speed than before.</p><p>Jumping out of the foliage, he finally arrived at his destination right as the sun was leaving its zenith, marking the start of the afternoon. Panting lightly and wiping the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand, Naruto looked around for any signs of the one-eyed scarecrow. Strange, no one was here. He was sure that-</p><p>A foot crashing into his back interrupted his train of thoughts. The Jinchūriki yelped as he was pinned down onto the floor, the foot from earlier holding him down. Tilting his head slightly, Naruto was met with the snarling mask of ANBU commander Dog, who was staring back at him coldly.</p><p>"You weren't ready." He said stoically.</p><p>Naruto grunted and attempted to wriggle himself free from beneath the older man's foot. "How…The hell…Was I supposed to know…You would sneak up on me like that!?" He struggled to get out. "That's not fair!"</p><p>"Life isn't fair." Replied the ANBU commander. "The sooner you learn that, the better." Dog removed his foot from the boy's back and kicked him in his side, launching him into the same damn tree from last year, much to the Uzumaki's chagrin.</p><p>"Ow…" Naruto rubbed the sore spot on his ribs. Looking up, he saw Dog already in front of him, throwing a fist towards him. Quickly grabbing onto the oncoming wrist that had come dangerously close to his face with both hands, the young blond struggled with all his might to keep the offending limb at bay.</p><p>'Hoh? Interesting.' Dog thought intrigued, the boy's reflexes were impressive. Sadly, it wasn't enough. Quickly yanking his hand out of the boy's grasp, he spun around on his foot and drove his heel on the side of the blond's cranium, sending him flying away once more. Hearing a ruffling noise behind him, he spun around only to see…A second Naruto!?</p><p>The clone rushed at him, brandishing a deadly kunai from his pocket as it began to swing the sharp object at him wildly in an attempt to catch him. Dog easily caught the wrist of the smaller boy and twisted it, making it yell out in pain. Bending low, he delivered a straight punch into the doppelganger's sternum making it dispel.</p><p>Turning around once more to face the original, he found him higher up the tree on a low-hanging branch, having used the distraction to get onto higher ground. Making the tiger seal, Dog took in a large amount of air and blew a medium-sized fireball at him.</p><p>Naruto gasped as he threw himself to the side, narrowly avoiding the giant ball of heat. Glaring down at the ANBU, he pulled out his kunai, the metal glinting slightly in the sunlight. He quickly wiped the blood dripping in his eye that had appeared because of the man's kick from earlier and crouched down low, pushing himself off the tree, and vanishing from view. 'Shunshin no jutsu!'</p><p>Dog wasn't one of Konoha's greatest shinobi for nothing however, his eyes easily keeping track of the blond soaring towards him. Using the back of his hand to knock away the oncoming kunai being held by the boy, his other hand went to the blond's throat, wrapping around it tightly and crashing him into the floor once more. His foot quickly came down on the boy's wrist, pinning his hand down and subsequently rendering his kunai useless.</p><p>Dog stared into the stubborn face of the young boy beneath him, meeting his glare unflinchingly. With a slight nod of his head, he removed his foot and stood up, walking back a few paces to allow room for the boy to recollect himself.</p><p>Naruto coughed slightly and rubbed his sore throat, slowly picking himself up as he watched the man in front of him remove his ANBU mask.</p><p>"You've improved." Remarked Kakashi as he lazily placed his hands in his pockets. "And picked up a few tricks as well, I see."</p><p>The man looked like he barely even broke a sweat, while Naruto was standing there, panting with drying blood on his face. He still had a long way to go. Kakashi inclined his head towards the wound apologetically, his eye curving up in a sheepish manner. "Sorry about that."</p><p>Naruto shrugged. "It'll heal." Kakashi nodded and sat down on the grass, crossing his legs as Naruto followed suit.</p><p>"Your reflexes have improved, and I see you've pulled off the clone jutsu and shunshin with no hand seals, well done. That's not an easy feat."</p><p>Naruto lowered his head bashfully. He wasn't used to receiving compliments. "Ah, thanks…"</p><p>The copy-nin reached into his pouch to take out a scroll, one looking identical to the one he'd given to him last year and tossed it to the boy. The blond caught it clumsily, fumbling slightly as his hands were still shaky from the adrenalin. Opening the scroll a quarter of the way, he caught a quick glimpse of the contents. 'Hand seals, tree-walking, fighting katas…'</p><p>"Now now" Chided Kakashi lightly as the boy quickly closed the scroll. "You can read through it later on. For now, let's talk about what went wrong during the spar."</p><p>'Some spar…More like a one-sided beat down.' Thought the blond sourly. Nevertheless, Naruto nodded and thought back to the fight. "I wasn't aware of my surroundings when I came here."</p><p>The masked man nodded. "What else?" At Naruto's silence, he pressed on. "You blindly rushed at an enemy that was clearly stronger than you were. While your guts were admirable, and you were armed while I wasn't, I am still a shinobi while you are merely a civilian in training. It would have been better for you to keep your distance and assess the situation."</p><p>Naruto sighed, but agreed with all of it. In the heat of the battle, he hadn't really found the time to fall back and think of a strategy. He was startled as Kakashi was suddenly in front of him, with a hand resting on top of his head. "Good work kid, I'm proud of you. Don't slack off with your training." With a small wave of his hand, the Shinobi disappeared.</p><p>Naruto didn't move for a few minutes, staring down at the grass as he let the nine tails work its magic on his wounds. Those words echoed within his mind, playing back like a recording.</p><p>'Good work, I'm proud of you'. A small smile appeared on his face as a warm feeling fluttered within his chest. Maybe that guy wasn't so bad after all.</p><p>—</p><p>The Hokage puffed on his wooden pipe as he stared out his window into the streets of Konoha, a futile attempt of calming his frayed nerves. Subtly glancing to his right, he looked upon the stoic as ever figure of his former teammate, Danzo Shimura, also known as the "Shinobi no Yami" because of his frequent unsanctioned actions.</p><p>Danzo was an old man, about Hiruzen's age with short dark hair that framed bandages wrapped around his forehead and right eye. He had a scar in the shape of an X on his chin and wore a black robe that hid his right arm from view. The warmonger was a shinobi that liked things done in a…Particular way. Where Hiruzen wanted things resolved peacefully, Danzo wanted to take action with extreme prejudice. He was the Yin to his Yang, the shadow to his light. Their difference of opinion has caused a rift to form between the two teammates over the years, with neither of them ever seeing eye to eye.</p><p>Both veterans were waiting for the arrival of an extra guest, one that had piqued the old war hawk's interest ever since the beginning of the third shinobi war. Though, the subject of this night's meeting was about another of Danzo's person of interest, one certain Jinchūriki.</p><p>The door opened and both men turned towards the entrance, watching as a man in a dog mask immediately kneeled down in front of the old Sarutobi.</p><p>"Rise, Dog." Commanded the fire shadow. Dog did so and regarded both occupants of the room.</p><p>"Hokage-sama." He greeted. Tilting his head to the side, he gave a curt nod. "Danzo."</p><p>"Let's get into the matter at hand." The war-hawk said without wasting time. "ANBU commander Dog, you have been training Konoha's weapon, have you not?"</p><p>"I have been giving training tips to Uzumaki Naruto" He corrected, stressing out his name.</p><p>Danzo's single visible eye narrowed slightly as he turned towards the Hokage. "What is the meaning of this, Hiruzen?" He drawled out in a low tone. "I was told that the Jinchūriki wouldn't be receiving training in order to form bonds within the village and assure his loyalty. That was the reasoning behind you not allowing me custody of the child."</p><p>Hiruzen turned away from the streets of Konoha to place frigid eyes upon his teammate. "That is 'Hokage-sama' to you, Danzo." He said in a warning tone. "I may be old, but I am known as the God of Shinobi for a reason. Do not test me."</p><p>Danzo's face remained impassive, but he pressed on. "The Uzumaki child would thrive under my care, you know that he would. I can give him the training he needs to become the ultimate weapon that the leaf needs during these dire times. Konoha is weak, Hiruzen. The Sanin are gone, so is the Yondaime. It may not be long before Kumo and Iwa muster the courage to come knocking at our proverbial doors once more. Must I remind you that both of them hold two Jinchūrikis, as opposed to our one?"</p><p>The frown on the monkey summoner's face deepened. "I will not have you turn Naruto into a mindless drone."</p><p>A small sneer appeared on Danzo's face. "And what alternative do you propose?</p><p>Dog unclipped his mask from his face, drawing the attention of the two other occupants. A set of mismatched eyes glared into the singular black orb of Danzo's.</p><p>"Danzo, let's make one thing clear here." Began Kakashi in a low tone. "Naruto is not your property, nor is he an object. He is a citizen of the village hidden in the leaves, and is the child of our fourth Hokage." Kakashi's voice held an edge to it. Cold fury writhing beneath the surface, a stark contrast to his usual laid-back tone. "More than that, I have decided to become the boy's silent guardian. Protecting him from vultures that would seek the power he holds for their own foolish goals or ideals."</p><p>The young Hatake took a step forward, the tomoes in his red eye spinning threateningly putting the shadow shinobi on edge. "I am not able to be a real part of his life due to my duties as an ANBU. But that will not stop me from shielding him from people like you. Hear me Danzo, hell will freeze over before I let you come near him. If one day, somehow, you, or anyone else were to get a hold of him, then so help me I will raze this village to the ground. As long as I draw breath, no harm will come to the boy. No matter who the culprit may be, I will stop at nothing to protect my teacher's legacy."</p><p>Danzo frowned at the copy-nin. "Those words you speak are those of a traitor. Is this really the path that you would choose, Hatake?"</p><p>Kakashi met the warmonger's glare head on. "If that is what it would come to, then so be it." And he meant those words. He had nothing left to lose. Nothing except for this small boy who was given a burden too great to carry by himself.</p><p>Hiruzen glanced towards the teenager. "Kakashi. Remember where you are." He warned. "Danzo, this conversation is over. Speak no more on the matter."</p><p>Danzo's eyes narrowed further as he made his way to the exit. "I hope you know what you're doing, Hokage-sama." He said as he opened the door. "For the sake of Konoha. The village that our fathers have built." The war veteran stepped out and closed the door with a small click.</p><p>Silence consumed the office once more, neither residents moving or saying anything. With a small sigh, Sarutobi turned back towards the window, an action that always seemed to relax him.</p><p>"Kakashi" He said softly, getting the ANBU agent's attention. "I know where your loyalties lie. If it ever came down to the wire, I know that you would choose Naruto over the village." When he received no reply, he continued. "You are the leaf's strongest Shinobi right now. I cannot afford to lose you or to suspend you. For that, I have allowed you some leniency. But know this;"</p><p>Hiruzen turned towards Kakashi and locked eyes with him. "If the time ever comes, know that I will do whatever must be done to protect Konoha. If it comes down to it, I will put you down myself. Student of the fourth or not, protector of our Jinchūriki or not, I will not let another Orochimaru come to be. You have been warned."</p><p>Kakashi said nothing, choosing to only give him a small tilt of the head instead. His message was clear. Run if you must, do not fight Konoha. With a salute, Kakashi disappeared from the room, leaving the old Sandaime alone with his thoughts once more.</p><p>He really was getting too old for this shit.</p><p>—</p><p>"Hehehe…"</p><p>Itachi turned his head to look at his younger brother that was being carried onto his back. "How come the one who twisted his ankle is the one who's laughing?" He asked with a small knowing smile. "Or maybe you were just looking for a way to get out of walking home?"</p><p>A small pout appeared on the face of the 7-year-old. "That's not it. I just can't stop thinking about how I'm gonna start the academy tomorrow. Now I'll finally get the chance to catch up to you!"</p><p>As Sasuke was lost in his daydreaming, Itachi's smile disappeared and was replaced by a frown as he stared at the ground, thinking back to a previous conversation.</p><p>"Itachi, have you made up your mind yet?" Asked a man wearing a mask and a thick black coat. "If you haven't, then we will be forced to take action instead."</p><p>Itachi looked up quickly from his kneeling position. "No, please wait! I need more time!" He said frantically.</p><p>"It will be too late once things start to move." Said the man in the cloak. "The situation is dire."</p><p>A pained frown settled upon the face of the Uchiha. "I understand…I shall settle this with my own hands."</p><p>"Big brother?" Sasuke said as he saw Itachi lost in his thoughts again. He'd been doing that a lot recently.</p><p>Itachi glanced behind him and offered him a small smile. "It's nothing Sasuke."</p><p>"Hmmm." Hummed Sasuke. "I wonder if that blond kid we met a while ago will be there as well. He seemed nice."</p><p>"…" An idea popped up in Itachi's head. "Sasuke." His little brother snapped out of his reverie and looked at him. "Once you start the academy, I want you to become friends with him."</p><p>Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "Why?"</p><p>Itachi merely chuckled. "It will be good for you. You don't have any friends of your own age."</p><p>His gaze turned back to the road ahead as a small frown found its way back onto his face, ignoring his brother's indignant grumbling behind his back.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Kindred</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Training, training and more training.</p>
<p>That was all he'd been doing these past 2 months. And while he did like growing stronger and learning new things, he was quickly becoming tired of the unending routine of getting up, running through the village in a half-awake daze, practicing this <em>stupid</em> tree walking or whatever it was called, doing those strange hand movements from the scroll over and over again incessantly.</p>
<p>He needed a change in scenery.</p>
<p>Which was why you could now see the small frame of a blond boy sneaking his way through the Uchiha compound. Those police force people or whatever they were called were always being mean to him, always sneering at him and carelessly bumping into him with all the care of an inebriated bovine farm animal. It was time for a little revenge.</p>
<p>He'd hatched a brilliant prank. Uchihas were all about their stuck-up attitudes and their high-and-mighty shirts with those fans on them, so…</p>
<p>Why not dye them pink?</p>
<p>It was perfect! Not only would it stick it to those Uchihas that a 7-year-old had managed to sneak past them, but it would also make a joke out of their beloved crests! Hopefully that dreadful eye of theirs would burn the image of their defaced symbol into their mind for a long while. Yes, this was just what he needed. He missed that rush, that daring feeling of going into the unknown and becoming the mastermind behind an unsuspecting victim's bad day. Everything was going well. Almost too well…</p>
<p>'Okay what the hell. Is security always this lax?' Perhaps it was because of the fact that the clan estates were now on the outskirts of Konoha? Or maybe they believed that no one would ever dare to break into the esteemed manors. Regardless, this worked well for him, so he wasn't about to complain.</p>
<p>He managed to tip toe his way through the mini market-district of the compound, making his way on a random porch and ever-so-slowly sliding one of the paper doors open. Weren't Uchihas proficient with fire? Those flimsy walls were definitely a health hazard.</p>
<hr/>
<p>"Get back here you pervert!"</p>
<p>He briefly considered following those orders and going back to mess with her. After all, there was nothing funnier than seeing people's gobsmacked expressions when he did that. But even he knew not to test the righteous fury of an angered woman.</p>
<p>He'd managed to sneak inside the bedroom of an unsuspecting Uchiha and, after making sure that it was indeed empty, had started looking for one of those blue shirts that all the clan members seemed to wear. What he hadn't expected was to reach inside the first drawer and pulling out a pair of black undergarments which had 'Izumi' etched in girly writing on the label.</p>
<p>He'd been so surprised that he quickly shut the drawer closed once more…A bit too loudly. The door slammed opened and lights were turned on, revealing the 7-year-old with a hand on the underwear drawer. One thing led to another, and he now had a 13-year-old brunette chasing after him, spouting out obscenities so rude they would make a sailor blush.</p>
<p>"I wasn't looking at your underwear, promise!" Yelled the terrified blond over his shoulder as he sprinted out of the compound, the girl still hot on his tail. Said girl merely growled angrily.</p>
<p>"You think I'm gonna believe that you little shit!? I said come back here!"</p>
<p>"Never!"</p>
<p>The chase went on for a few good minutes, though luckily for Naruto, he managed to lose her in the crisscrossing alleys a long way away from the Uchiha clan. Panting to catch his breath, he rested a hand right above his furiously beating heart. "Man, women are scary…"</p>
<p>The sudden sound of footsteps made him spin around, thinking that that girl had found him once more, though he relaxed slightly when he saw it wasn't the Uchiha he was expecting.</p>
<p>"…Itachi?" He said hesitantly, struggling to remember the name of the man that had taught him the body flicker. The prodigy was dressed in those clothes he would see Kakashi -or Dog-dressed in sometimes, though unlike him,he wasn't wearing a mask. Itachi seemed to have barely noticed him, being too lost in his thoughts to see the smaller boy.</p>
<p>Itachi looked up slowly, startled out of his musings. "Oh, Naruto-kun." He greeted in that same soft tone that he remembered. Naruto smiled and ran up to him in excitement.</p>
<p>"Hey hey, thanks again for teaching me that body flicker!" crowed Naruto. "Kakashi was really impressed thanks to you!"</p>
<p>Itachi offered him a weak smile. "I'm glad." The Uzumaki frowned in worry. The Uchiha seemed like he was carrying a lot of guilt, if the tense shoulders and slightly bowed head was of any indication. Maybe one of those ANBU missions he'd heard Kakashi talk about had gone wrong?</p>
<p>"Naruto…" Began Itachi hesitantly. The blond looked up at the taller man, head tilted to the side in acknowledgement. The dark-haired teen's eyes left the ground and locked onto the ones of the blond. "Please…Look after Sasuke for me."</p>
<p>"Huh?" was his confused reply. The teen's eyes began to bleed to red and before he knew it, his whole world had gone dark.</p>
<p>When he came to the next morning, an entire clan had been slaughtered by the hands of the pacifist prodigy. None had been spared.</p>
<p>None save for Sasuke and Izumi Uchiha.</p>
<hr/>
<p>
  <em>10 months later.</em>
</p>
<p>He could feel him.</p>
<p>Last time, he had taken him by surprise. But this time, he was ready. He had been training relentlessly for this moment.</p>
<p>He quickly strapped his short blade to his back, one of his most recent purchases. The scroll had made him practice Kenjutsu katas with a stick and after a year of that, he thought he was finally ready to wield the real thing. He threw his window open and jumped out into the streets of Konoha.</p>
<p>Left, right, left, right, he was moving far faster than he was last year, easily travelling through the streets in record time thanks to the help of chakra and quick bursts of the Shunshin. One thing that made it difficult to use that move too much was the tunnel vision that usually came with it. But after spending a whole year and half practicing, he was now so accustomed to it he could now barely feel a thing.</p>
<p>He burst through the foliage, heedless of anything but the feel of <em>his</em> chakra. His gaze locked onto the lazy hunched figure of the Jōnin reading his book. There he was! Placing his hand on the hilt of his Tanto, he closed the distance in the blink of an eye with another use of the Shunshin and freed his blade from its hilt.</p>
<p>Kakashi didn't even look up as the short blade was effortlessly stopped by a kunai. Geez, he hadn't even seen him pull it out!</p>
<p>"Now now," the Hatake chided lightly, eyes never leaving his book. "No need to be so eager."</p>
<p>Naruto's face who had been contorted into one of great effort shifted into strained amusement as he put all of his weight behind the sword in an attempt to make the taller man budge. "Tch, should've known it wouldn't be that easy."</p>
<p>The masked man hummed in agreement. "Perhaps, but still a good effort." He disappeared from his line of sight, making the jinchūriki nearly fall at the sudden lack of resistance.</p>
<p>"Behind you." The blond whipped around and quickly launched himself back with the use of the body flicker. Skidding backwards into a stop, he brought his arm back and threw his tanto at Kakashi. The blade soared through the air and speared the head of the Jōnin, who stumbled backwards in surprise and dropped to the floor, unmoving.</p>
<p>Naruto froze as his eyes widened. What the heck? Had he killed him? How!? He was supposed to be one of the strongest Shinobi in this village!</p>
<p>The unmoving figure suddenly disappeared in a puff of smoke and Naruto released the breath he'd been holding in. His relief was short-lived though as metal wires suddenly tightened around him, locking his arms to his sides and nearly slicing his skin.</p>
<p>"Don't get distracted." Reprimanded the copy-cat, appearing out of thin air in front of him. Naruto glared at the wires in frustration before a mischievous grin pulled its way onto his lips. The Uzumaki disappeared as a wooden log took his place from within the stringy confines.</p>
<p>'Substitution, huh?' Thought Kakashi to himself. He was impressed, the boy was making great progress with his training. His strikes felt stronger and his movements faster and more fluid. The sound of footsteps on grass drew his attention as he blocked a tanto strike aimed at the back of his neck with a kunai, the longer blade coming dangerously close to his skin. 'And his stealth, at least all those pranks were good for something.'</p>
<p>He jumped away as a second tanto rushed at him, two blond blurs now swinging the deadly blades around. He easily weaved in between their surprisingly coordinated strikes, ducking under an overhead slash and using his low center of gravity to sweep at the clone's feet. The doppelganger tripped, and was struck in the head with the butt of the kunai.</p>
<p>Although he wouldn't admit it to the blond in fear of stroking his ego, the sharingan wielder admired the way Naruto learned new techniques. He would practice them relentlessly, every single day until he could do them instinctually with minimal effort. The three moves that he knew; the shadow clone, body-flicker, the substitution, they were all trained to perfection, each manifested with no smoke and no hand seals. It really was impressive, Kakashi had met Jōnins that hadn't had that level of mastery.</p>
<p>The second clone quickly put his Tanto away and rushed at Kakashi, jumping high to make up for the height difference and throwing a punch at the Jōnin's face. Predictably, the punch was easily caught and Kakashi yanked the blond towards him, delivering a powerful punch to its face.</p>
<p>Being rid of the two clones, the masked man decided to switch to offence and flipped his reverse hold of the kunai to a normal hold. He was upon the blond in seconds, the knife already in motion to be plunged into the boy's larynx. It took every ounce of Naruto's newfound reflexes and speed to raise his tanto for protection, both blades clashing in-between them.</p>
<p>The two stared into each other's eyes, one aloof with a slight edge behind it and the other blazing with fierce determination. Kakashi put more force behind his weapon, forcing the tanto away and landing a painful front kick into the boy's sternum. Naruto grunted and was pushed back, though he managed to remain on his feet this time. He ducked under a kunai swing from Kakashi and did his best to deflect the following ones. Sparks flew as steel met steel repeatedly, the only thing standing between Naruto and painful cuts being his liberal use of Shunshin.</p>
<p>'Time to end this.' Thought the copy-cat. He'd seen enough. Disappearing in a burst of speed, Kakashi reappeared behind Naruto far faster than the blond could see, his hand coming down into a downwards chop.</p>
<p>His hand never made contact with the soft squishy feel of skin however, instead being stopped by something hard and cold. His eyes opened wide in surprise as an ethereal golden chain stopped him from striking his neck.</p>
<p>A feral grin appeared on the face of the Jinchūriki. "This isn't over yet!" The chain lashed out, pushing the Jōnin back as Naruto sprang into action, his chain following behind him like a golden tail. He threw a right hook at the taller man which was avoided, then spun around quickly, the chain whipping around and striking Kakashi in the side. Kakashi turned into a wooden log as the vicious links gouged into the bark.</p>
<p>Naruto quickly looked left and right in search of the silver haired man, but froze when he felt cold steel against the back of his neck and a foot on his chakra chain pinning it into place.</p>
<p>"Yield." Commanded Kakashi. Naruto didn't move for a few seconds out of pure stubbornness. After a while though, he sighed and raised his hands in surrender. Kakashi nodded and pulled the knife away, taking a step back as the blond jinchūriki collapsed onto the ground in exhaustion.</p>
<p>All was quiet in the training ground, the sound of the blond boy huffing loudly as he caught his breath being the only noise. Kakashi silently watched as the golden chain vanished into dust, frowning in thought at the phenomenon. 'There's no mistaking it. That's Kushina's ability.'</p>
<p>"What happened to your mask?" the Hatake blinked and looked up at the blond.</p>
<p>"What was that?"</p>
<p>Naruto pointed at his hip. "Your mask, you're usually always with it. Where did it go?"</p>
<p>True enough, Kakashi felt the clear uncomfortable absence of weight of the familiar carved face on his hip. "Oh…That." He winced and glanced down, debating how to explain it. "Dog is gone…For now."</p>
<p>The blond raised an eyebrow, but in the end decided to flop back down onto his back. He was too tired to care about some stupid mask. Dog sucked anyway.</p>
<p>The Jōnin slowly approached him and sat down next to him. "So…Those chains."</p>
<p>"I know, they're pretty cool right? They surprised me too at first."</p>
<p>"Quite." Agreed Kakashi. "How did you first…You know." A pause. "Make them?"</p>
<p>The blond gave him a small sheepish smile as he ran his fingers through the soft grass. "Heheh, funny story…" A memory flashed through his brain, walking down the stairs, tripping, heading face first into the concrete floor…Only to be saved by a chain wrapping around the railing next to the stairs.</p>
<p>"I was interrogating some enemy shinobi and I ran out of wires, so when I thought about what else I could use as bindings, these came out."</p>
<p>"…"</p>
<p>"…I see." Kakashi said in a deadpan. He totally did <em>not</em> believe him, but he didn't press it.</p>
<p>Naruto opened his mouth, but quickly shut it closed with a small click. After a few more silent moments, he leaned up onto his elbows to look at the older man.</p>
<p>"Hey, Kakashi…?" He asked hesitantly.</p>
<p>"Hmm" Came the lazy reply.</p>
<p>"My mom…" He began as he saw the man's eye shift to look at him. "She had that ability as well, didn't she?"</p>
<p>"…" The jōnin watched Naruto carefully. He wouldn't lie to him. If the boy found out the truth on his own accord, then that was something that could not be helped. He owed him that much at least. "Yes, she did."</p>
<p>The blond lied back down as he stared up the sky. "And…She used those against the nine tails." He tilted his head towards the man once more. "When he got sealed into me."</p>
<p>Kakashi nodded once more. "She did."</p>
<p>Naruto sighed softly as he closed his eyes. That was something that he appreciated from the scarecrow. He told him the truth, and he didn't ask uncomfortable questions. He cared about the old man, he really did, but he was hiding too many things from him. He didn't think he could ever trust him like he trusted Kakashi.</p>
<p>That thought made him pause. He trusted Kakashi because he was the only one that has been truthful to him. The only one that had given him the time of day with no ulterior motives. The only one who felt genuine.</p>
<p>But why?</p>
<p>"Why are you doing all of this for me…?" He muttered suddenly. But Kakashi understood perfectly.</p>
<p>"…" Was this the right time? Naruto definitely was a lot more mature and responsible than other kids his age, but he was still just that; a kid. One prone to his emotions like any other kids his age.</p>
<p>'No more lies.'</p>
<p>"I owe it to your parents."</p>
<p>Naruto shot up into a sitting position, furious and slightly misty eyes glaring into his. "Who the hell are my parents!? You and the old man, you're always saying my parents this and my parents that, but you've never given me a straight answer!"</p>
<p>Kakashi heaved a sigh. "Have you ever had a good look at the portraits inside the Hokage's office?"</p>
<p>Naruto frowned and wiped his eyes with the back of his sleeves. "Portraits creep me out. What does this have to do with anything?"</p>
<p>"That's all you'll get out of me. That is plenty for you to figure it out on your own." Replied Kakashi with finality, making the blond frown and nod reluctantly.</p>
<p>The scarecrow reached inside his pouch and pulled out a slip of paper. "Take this." Naruto raised an eyebrow and looked at the piece of paper curiously.</p>
<p>"What is it?" He asked as he took it in his hands. He flipped the paper over, checking each side. Yep, just a regular piece of paper.</p>
<p>"Channel your chakra into it." Instructed the Jōnin.</p>
<p>Naruto frowned and did just that, molding the mystical energy from his core and guiding it through his pathways, down his arm and into the piece of paper. To his surprise, the paper got cleanly cut into two from the middle.</p>
<p>"Whoa" Said the blond-wonder in slight awe. "That's cool. What does it mean?" Kakashi hummed and rubbed his chin in thought. Huh. That complicated things. Not many people were attuned to the wind element in Konoha, or in Hi no Kuni in general.</p>
<p>"Good job today, go rest up." With that, the masked scarecrow disappeared in a hurry.</p>
<p>"Huh? Hey!" Naruto scrambled to his feet and shouted out at the empty field. "What do I do now!? Do I just keep doing the same training?!"</p>
<p>Silence met his question as he looked around in slight confusion. After seeing that the masked man really was gone, determination creeped onto his face as he set his gaze towards the direction of the Hokage's tower.</p>
<p>
  <em>10 minutes later.</em>
</p>
<p>"Hokage-sama? He's in a meeting with the council right now, Naruto-kun. You can wait for him in his office if you want." The secretary said as she scribbled down on some paperwork. There was nothing to fear after all, everyone knew that Naruto and the Hokage had a really 'close' relationship.</p>
<p>Naruto nodded gratefully. "Thanks Eri."</p>
<p>Once he was inside, he looked around the quiet room with slight apprehension. There were four portraits hung on the right side of the room, all with expensive looking golden frames adorning them. Slowly making his way to the portraits, he looked at each of them carefully.</p>
<p>The first one was a tall man with tan skin and long black hair with two strands framing a red bandana. He had a big smile on his face, suggesting a goofy and carefree attitude. He was wearing the same robes that Hiruzen-jiji wore all the time. A previous Hokage, perhaps?</p>
<p>He looked towards the second one. The man was wearing the Hokage hat, but he could see shaggy silver hair poking out from beneath it. Three red lines were drawn onto his face, one on each cheekbone and one going vertically on his chin. He was wearing a custom looking headband, almost looking like a half helmet that protected his forehead and the sides of his face. His eyes were a surprising shade of red and unlike the previous Hokage, he had a stern look and seemed to be staring right into his soul.</p>
<p>The third one was easy to recognize; it was the old man, though he looked a little younger. That was super weird, there was a time where he didn't look like an old fossil? So, the two previous portraits were probably the first and second Hokage respectively.</p>
<p>His eyes landed on the fourth and final portrait, and he felt his breath catch in his throat.</p>
<p>Spiky blond hair, bright blue eyes, a kind smile. This was no doubt the fourth Hokage, the man that had sealed the nine tails inside of him. He'd never seen a close-up picture of him before, only having seen the carved face on the mountain. But it was a bit difficult to make out any defining features from there.</p>
<p><em>Your father looks a lot like you, so much so that it's scary. </em>Kakashi's voice rung out inside his head.</p>
<p>'No…'</p>
<p>He stumbled back, his entire body feeling numb from the shock. He leaned against the Hokage's desk as he tried to process the millions of thoughts raging through his mind, much too fast for him to keep up with. A smaller framed picture sitting on the desk caught his attention, one amongst many others that were there. A picture of that same blond man hugging a woman with scarlet red hair.</p>
<p><em>Red hair was a common trait amongst Uzumaki clan members. </em>He remembered reading during his research of his heritage.</p>
<p>'No no no no no…'</p>
<p><strong><em>But that damned Uzumaki…She held me down with her pesky chains before I could finish the deed. </em></strong>The voice of the nine tailed growled.</p>
<p>
  <strong>
    <em>I've been passed down, from one container to another like some type of family heirloom.</em>
  </strong>
</p>
<p>He felt something click in his head. It all suddenly made sense. His mother was the previous container. His mother had held down the nine tails as his father sealed it into him. Both died afterwards, leaving him all alone. Kakashi had been trained by his father, that was why he was taking such an interest in him. The reason why the third never told him was because he knew how he would react to the news. Lies, lies lies lies lies lies lies lies, all lies!</p>
<p>He felt his breathing pick up as his head began to swim. No, that couldn't be possible, could it? There was no way he could possibly be his son. Not with how he was being treated. What kind of father even sealed a giant beast of mass destruction inside of their own son!?</p>
<p>
  <em>Lord fourth was a pretty smart and analytic person. I believe he would pick the person best suited for the job.</em>
</p>
<p>He did the only thing he could think of.</p>
<p>He ran.</p>
<p>He threw the door open with a bang and ran as fast as he could out of the office, leaving a worried hidden ANBU behind. He ran down the corridor, down the stairs, out the main entrance, down the streets of Konoha. His heart hammered in his chest as tears trailed down his face. He kept running, past Kinta's shop, past the academy, past his apartment, past the great gates of Konoha. He had to get away from here. He didn't know where he would go, but he couldn't be here right now. He couldn't face anyone.</p>
<p>He ignored the calls of the two men in green vests guarding the entrance and kept running past the tree lines.</p>
<p>"Where the hell is he going?" A man with long spiky hair and a bandage covering the bridge of his nose said in confusion.</p>
<p>The man next to him, with the longer hair and bandana frowned at the tree lines. "I don't know, Kotetsu. We should probably go inform the Hokage."</p>
<p>"No. Let him go."</p>
<p>Both men turned around in surprise. "Ah, Kakashi-san! I didn't see you there!"</p>
<p>Izumo frowned in worry. "Are you sure he'll be alright?"</p>
<p>Kakashi looked off into the direction that his pseudo student had ran to with a slight frown. "He'll be fine."</p>
<p>Both gate guards looked at each other in confusion.</p>
<hr/>
<p>"Sasuke-kun, Sasuke-kun! Do you want me to walk you home?"</p>
<p>"Sasuke-kun I can carry your bag for you!"</p>
<p>"Sasuke-kun, you looked so cool during the spars today!"</p>
<p>Sasuke turned away and stuffed his hands inside of his pockets in disinterest as a group of annoying academy girls fought for his attention. He was used to it though. Ever since he started the academy exactly a year ago, it has been like that. He was the class idol, the boy who everybody wanted to befriend. The prodigy. One of the last remaining Uchiha.</p>
<p>This last year had been…Something else. So much had happened and it felt like it had been dragging on for so long, yet 12 months ago seemed like it was just yesterday.</p>
<p>He'd started the academy, hoping to do well there and impress his big brother. Yet, that same big brother went crazy and ended up murdering his entire clan, with the exception of him and Izumi.</p>
<p>Speaking of Izumi, she had insisted that he move in with her. Her reasoning being that she didn't think he'd be able to take care of himself and that she wanted him away from the place he found his parent's corpse to avoid phantom memories. He didn't quite understand her reasoning though, the entire clan compound was tainted in his opinion.</p>
<p>Despite that, he was really grateful for her. He was sure that he would've lost it, all by himself. Even though he'd never interacted with her before the genocide, the two became closer, almost becoming like brother and sister. He didn't know what drove Itachi to spare her as well, but he was glad.</p>
<p>He arrived near the gated entrances and pushed one of the doors opened, the metal gates creaking and groaning in protest. He made his way further down the estate, walking past several residences and only pausing when his old home came into view.</p>
<p>"Is that you Sasuke?" He heard Izumi call out to him. The eight-year-old Uchiha sighed and made his way inside the house of the brunette, who was sorting through her ninja equipment in her Shinobi attire.</p>
<p>"Going on a mission?" He questioned as he tossed his bag on the table of the living room. Izumi looked towards him and smiled as she stood up.</p>
<p>"Yup, got assigned today. How was the academy?" She asked while attaching her pouch to her pants. Sasuke just shrugged and sat on one of the chairs in the living room.</p>
<p>"It was fine" He answered simply.</p>
<p>The girl nodded, used to his short replies by now. As she stood to make her way out, the youngest of the two sat up straighter in his chair and called out to her.</p>
<p>"Izumi?"</p>
<p>"Hmm?" She turned around and looked at the boy.</p>
<p>"I was thinking," He began uneasily. "How come…Itachi didn't…You know." The girl winced as Sasuke fumbled uncomfortably with his words. "Kill you?"</p>
<p>That question had puzzled Izumi as well. Itachi knew her, they spoke regularly. He would have noticed that she wasn't in the clan towards the time of the murder. Perhaps he hadn't had the time to look for her? Or maybe he didn't have the heart. The implications towards the second option scared her.</p>
<p>"I got lucky." She answered after a few seconds of silence. "I wasn't in the clan at the time. Some blond kid with whiskers broke into my house and was trying to dye my clothes as a prank, go figure." She smiled grimly and shrugged. "If it wasn't for him, I'd probably be dead as well. He saved my life in a weird way."</p>
<p>Sasuke remained quiet as Izumi waved at him and exited her house. He'd only seen one blond kid with whiskers around the village. That same blond kid that he'd met training. That same blond kid that Itachi had asked him to befriend. That same blond kid that seemed to be unanimously hated around the village.</p>
<p>He was beginning to see a pattern.</p>
<hr/>
<p>He'd been running for at least an hour north west of Konoha by now, and the trees were becoming fewer and fewer. His fuzzy mind absently recalled the maps he remembered seeing and estimated being a few kilometres away from the borders of Yugakure, also known as the land of Hot Water.</p>
<p>His mad sprint soon slowed into a rapid run, then to a jog and soon into a slow walk. His eyes never looked ahead of him though, staying locked onto the ground below him as half lidded dejected eyes stared blankly at the dirt.</p>
<p>'It's not like anyone will miss me there…'</p>
<p>
  <em>That's not true. What about Old man Teuchi and Ayame? What about the Hokage? And Kakashi?</em>
</p>
<p>He screwed his eyes shut as he shook his head stubbornly and wiped at his eyes furiously. No! They didn't care! No one did! If they did, they would have told him the truth from the start!</p>
<p>He was so lost in his thoughts and his self-wallowing that he barely even noticed the tall muscular man facing away from him with his arms crossed until he bumped into him.</p>
<p>"Ow" Naruto bounced back and landed on his behind, the man in front of him didn't even move an inch.</p>
<p>"Yo, that ain't cool bro."</p>
<p>Looking up, Naruto was greeted with the sight of the darkest and most muscular man he'd ever seen in his short life. He had white hair that was combed back and tucked into a white headband depicting the symbol of Kumogakure, the village hidden in the clouds. He had a goatee and wore shades that somehow stayed on even though they had no branches to hold them in place and carried <em>eight fricking swords </em>on his back. He had the Kanji for 'Iron' tattooed in blue on his left shoulder, as well as two parallel horns under his right eye. Other than that, he seemed to be wearing some stylized version of a cloud ninja uniform.</p>
<p>"S-sorry, sorry! I wasn't watching where I was going." Naruto quickly got back up to his feet and wiped his eyes with a sniffle. The man looked down at him with an unreadable expression before a grin broke out onto his face.</p>
<p>"Don't sweat it little man, I was just finishing my plan. What are ya doing on your own when evening has just begun?"</p>
<p>Naruto blinked slowly as his tired brain tried to process what the strange man had just said. "I'm just…Taking a walk I guess." He looked up at the headband tied around his head. "What's a Kumo shinobi doing all the way in fire country?"</p>
<p>The man crossed his arms and bobbed his head to an invisible beat. "Had some business to take care of in the land of Iron, but I thought I'd take a detour down southern."</p>
<p><strong>"Bee, that kid is a Jinchūriki." </strong>A booming voice said inside the Kumo nin's head.</p>
<p>'Ya ain't gotta tell me that mighty-Hachibi-sama. It's like I'm standing next to Yugito, only cranked up to a hundred, yo.'</p>
<p>
  <strong>"That's probably because this boy holds the 9 tails. I've told you in the past that the power difference between each tail is increasingly more powerful, be careful with this one."</strong>
</p>
<p>"Oh, alright. I'll see you I guess." Naruto was about to walk off when the man put a hand on his shoulder.</p>
<p>"Hold on now friend-o, I know you're not leaving without telling me your name, don't be giving me no woes."</p>
<p>"Oh, I'm sorry." Naruto scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "I'm Naruto Uzumaki."</p>
<p>A big grin appeared on the shade wearing man's face once more as his head and arms made those weird motions once more. "Ya seem to be cool little fishcake so I'll tell you my name, make no mistake! You can call me master Kirabi, 'cuz I float like a butterfly and I sting like a killer bee, wheee!"</p>
<p>Naruto took a cautious step back as he slowly nodded his head. Better stay on that guy's good side. "I-I see. Well it was nice to meet you Kirabi, but I better get-"</p>
<p>He was interrupted as the man was suddenly next to him, an arm thrown over his shoulder in an amicable way "Now now little fox, ya don't need to gawk. But I can't let you leave when I see you so down, ya gotta tell me what made you frown, fool, ya fool!"</p>
<p>The blond's eyes narrowed slightly. "Why do you wanna know that?" His brain finally caught up with the rest on the man's sentence. "Wait, fox?" He threw Kirabi's arm away from his shoulder and jumped back a few meters away. "How do you know about that?"</p>
<p>Kirabi ignored the smaller boy's suspicion as he began to make some rapping movements that matched his lyrics. "Ya gotta keep it cool, otherwise that would just be cruel! I gotta make sure my fellow Jinchūriki is happy, or my name ain't the mighty Killer Bee, wheeee!" He finished his dance with a hand thrown in the air, all fingers curled in except for the index and pinky making a crude imitation of horns.</p>
<p>The blond's eyes widened as he took a step towards the man that could probably understand him better than anyone. "You mean you're…"</p>
<p>"That's right sucker, anything else would be a motherfu-"</p>
<p><strong>"Bee, he is a <em>child!</em> Watch your language!" </strong>Hachibi yelled inside his head.</p>
<p>Bee winced and massaged his now throbbing temple making Naruto look at him in concern. "Are you alright mister Kirabi?"</p>
<p>Bee nodded carelessly and went on. "Just the old partner in crime giving me a hard time."</p>
<p>Naruto took another step forward in amazement. "You can talk to him!?"</p>
<p>Kirabi grinned widely, idly taking note on how Naruto addressed Hachibi as "he" and not "it" and nodded his head. "You better believe it bro, if ya don't then I can prove it for sho'! Just bump yo fist against mine, and we'll be done in no time! Fool, ya fool!"</p>
<p>Naruto looked at the extended fist in confusion and stared at his own for a few seconds. After a moment's thought, he walked forward and extended his arm, touching his fist against Kirabi's.</p>
<p>The strange sensation of vertigo assaulted his senses as he closed his eyes in an effort to contain his lunch. Once the feeling was gone, he slowly opened them to find himself standing in a white void with Kirabi in front of him, and…A giant bull with the body of an octopus, what the hell was that!?</p>
<p>"No need to fret lil' bro, Hachibi ain't gonna bite you yo!"</p>
<p>The eight tails lowered his head to be at better level with the little boy. <strong>"Bee is right, I asked him to bring you in here to meet you. You said your name was Naruto, right?"</strong></p>
<p>Naruto nodded quickly as sweat trickled down in face. "Y-Yes! It's nice to meet you mister-aah I mean Hachibi!"</p>
<p>One of the eight tails' tentacles flicked idly behind him. "<strong>You don't have to worry about that title. My name is Gy</strong><strong>ū</strong><strong>ki. Though that fool down here still calls me Hachibi for some reason."</strong></p>
<p>Said fool crossed his arms. "Naw Hachibi, I mean no disrespect, there's no way I would-" Bee paused abruptly and took out a note pad from his pocket, flipping it open and putting one finger under his chin thoughtfully. "Hmm, expect, direct, reflect…"</p>
<p><strong>"…Anyway." </strong>The Ox hybrid began after a few seconds of silence. <strong>"I wanted to speak to you about something. You were planning on leaving your village, right? Don't. You will be hunted down once they see that you're trying to leave, they will kill you and put Kurama inside another vessel. He doesn't need to be subjected to another sealing. The guy's been in enough of those already."</strong></p>
<p>Naruto looked up into the giant eyes of the Ox-topus. "Kurama…?"</p>
<p>Gyūki frowned. <strong>"That's the name of mister doom and gloom inside of you."</strong> At the look of panic appearing on the whiskered boy's face, he continued. <strong>"I'm not surprised he didn't tell you."</strong></p>
<p>Naruto looked down glumly. "I wanted him to tell me…When I finally gained his trust."</p>
<p>"That's no doubt an admirable trait, though it sure ain't no piece of cake."</p>
<p><strong>"Bee is right. We bijuus are naturally wary of humans, the old fox even more so." </strong>Said gyūki. <strong>"He probably wouldn't tell you even if you were friends just to prove a point."</strong></p>
<p>That did nothing to lift Naruto's spirits.</p>
<p>"Yo mister nine, why were you leaving the ol' tree anyhow?" Bee asked suddenly, no doubt referring to Konoha.</p>
<p>"Because! I-" Naruto stopped suddenly. "Because," He repeated, calmer this time. "No one will miss me there. Plus, they've done nothing but lie to me ever since I was born! About my parents, about what happened to them, about Kura…Kyuubi inside my stomach." The blond paced angrily as both Ox and man watched him. "I'm better off somewhere else."</p>
<p>Kirabi pointed at the blue scarf wrapped around the blond's neck. "That scarf around your neck is looking mighty fine, correct me if I'm wrong, but that looks like a gift mister nine!"</p>
<p>
  <strong>"What Bee is trying to say, Naruto, is that this scarf looks handmade, someone took the time to make it. But above all that, my point about the fox still stands. He doesn't need that grief."</strong>
</p>
<p>Naruto looked down at the 'floor' that seemed bottomless. They were right, it <em>was</em> a gift, and someone did care. He'd finally remembered why Kakashi seemed so familiar a while ago, he felt just like the ANBU that would guard his house the most and who probably left him this scarf. Even though he had his own strange way of showing it, Kakashi really did care and was the closest thing he had to family now.</p>
<p>"You're right, I've been acting selfish…I'm sorry."</p>
<p>"It ain't us you gotta apologize to ya witch, you one mighty sonofab-"</p>
<p>Bee was once again interrupted when a massive tentacle crashed against the back of his head, sending him to the ground.</p>
<p>
  <strong>"It's time to go home, Naruto."</strong>
</p>
<p>Naruto nodded slowly and soon; the area began to fade away.</p>
<hr/>
<p>Once they were back in the real world, the two kept talking for a few minutes and Kirabi decided to accompany the blond back to the borders of Konoha. Night was beginning to settle in, the time when Ninjas truly lived up to their names.</p>
<p>The trip was made mainly in silence, with Bee saying a few raps every now and then and Naruto looking down at the floor, deep in thought once more.</p>
<p>An hour later, when they were barely a kilometre away from Konoha, the two came across a familiar looking masked man leaning against a tree, arms folded and looking at the two.</p>
<p>"Kakashi!" Naruto rushed towards the Jōnin, who offered him an eye smile and a ruffle of his hair much to his consternation. The scarecrow looked up and met the shaded eyes of Kirabi. After a few seconds, he inclined his head slightly in a show of gratefulness, Bee returned the gesture after a few seconds.</p>
<p>Naruto turned around as Bee approached them. "Will I see you again, Kirabi?"</p>
<p>Kirabi grinned and extended his fist once more. "Ya better believe it little bro, take care of yourself, yo."</p>
<p>Naruto bumped his fist against Bee's with a wide grin and, after waving at him one final time, quickly ran to catch up with Kakashi.</p>
<p>The two began their trek back in silence, Naruto not knowing what to say and Kakashi not wanting to say anything. Hesitantly, Naruto's hand came up and held onto the older man's hand.</p>
<p>"I…" He said softly, his voice catching in his throat. "I'm sorry…"</p>
<p>Kakashi kept on walking, being too surprised by the small show of trust. After a while though, he tightened his hold around his little brother's hand.</p>
<p>"Don't worry about it."</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Promise</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"You know my name, you know my fame, don't be lame! Eight Tails, thats me, da rappin, Killer Bee!"</p><p>Heads turned as the eccentric Jinchūriki walked through the gates of his village. Many smiled and laughed, realizing that it was only the lovable enka performer and went back to their conversations. Merchants that had just arrived in the village stared in bewilderment at the seemingly everyday occurrence.</p><p>"A Tailed Beast resides inside my hide makin' beats and rhymes and I'm makin' 'em live! It's what a Jinchūriki needs to survive, battle and battle up here in the Bee Hive!"</p><p>A busty nineteen-year-old blonde girl stared at her teacher with a slight frown of worry, nervous sweat trickling down the side of her head.</p><p>"Win after win is the way that it's done, when I'm finished you'll wish we never met, son! Aww yeeah!"</p><p>"Drop kick!"</p><p>Everyone looked up as a figure descended from the sky and crashed into the unsuspecting host of the eight tails, creating a large cloud of dust. When it finally cleared up, everyone could see their Raikage with his foot firmly planted on his brother's face, who was now pinned down on the ground.</p><p>"You haven't learned a thing have you?!" Yelled the Raikage in fury. Bee groaned as he attempted to pull his brother's foot off of his face.</p><p>"W-What's up brother? You surprised me too much!"</p><p>Ay moved his foot away from Bee's face and grabbed onto his collar, lifting him up and shaking his limp body around. "I let you go out on a mission for the first time in years and what's the first thing that you do? You leave your team all alone and go your own way! You fool!"</p><p>Bee raised both his arms and extended his index and thumb to make his hands look like guns "The Universe works in mysterious ways bro, who knows what it's got in store, yo!"</p><p>A vein throbbed on the Raikage's forehead. "My patience is running thin Bee! Do you want me to introduce you to my Iron Claw again!?"</p><p>"Noooo brother, that Iron Claw is too much of a killer!"</p><p><strong>"Will you <em>please</em> stop that annoying rapping? You suck." </strong>Muttered Gyūki in annoyance. Bee dropped his head in defeat. No one could appreciate good enka around here!</p><p>The Jinchūriki looked towards his brother and, after taking note of the increasing anger on his face and the veins bulging on his head and neck, decided to quickly continue.</p><p>"It ain't like that bro! I heard some intel at the inn we were at so I followed in tow! Some S-rank business my green-around-the-gills teammates shouldn't witness, ya fool!"</p><p>The Raikage resisted the urge to use his fabled Lariat on his own brother in favor of processing the new information. "S-rank you say? What made it your business for you to follow them you reckless moron!?</p><p>The dark skinned enka enthusiast held up his hands defensively. "Ah, brother, don't make me suffer! This feeling inside my gut was telling me they wouldn't make the cut! I had to go alone and be a good samaritan, it's my duty as the mighty Killer-Bee, wheee-gahk!"</p><p>Bee was interrupted as Ay dug his fingers around the top of his face. "You're getting on my last nerves, Bee!"</p><p>"Nooo! Samui, help meee!"</p><p>The blond girl that was watching the two from a safe distance looked on helplessly.</p><hr/><p>The third idly watched excited youths playing catch near the base of his tower, indulging in one of his pass times and puffing on his trusty wooden pipe. He liked that pipe, it was sturdy, made of mahogany and had some lovely carvings on it. A thoughtful gift from his son dearest.</p><p>Kakashi stood behind him with his ever-present lazy slouch and aloof half-lidded eyes. He quietly observed the smoke rolling in the air, making random shapes wherever the draft took it.</p><p>"So, he knows." Hiruzen rumbled quietly, his voice coarse like gravel. The ANBU hidden in the room two days ago had seen Naruto come into the office and look at the paintings a bit too intently. It wasn't dificult to link it to his sudden escape attempt. The scarecrow hummed in agreement as Hiruzen looked upon the faces of his predecessors. "What of his state of mind?"</p><p>"He's fine." Drawled out Kakashi. "Though he probably won't be calling you 'old man' for a while.</p><p>"Hmm." Hiruzen ripped his eyes away from the mountains and turned around, facing Kakashi as he took a drag from his pipe. The crafty Kage stared at the Jōnin for a moment before finally speaking again. "How little you must think of me, Kakashi."</p><p>Kakashi straightened ever-so-slightly. Nearly unnoticeable to the untrained eye but easily distinguishable to Sarutobi.</p><p>"I care for Naruto, I really do. I wish only the best for him." He sighed tiredly and slowly sat down on his chair. "But I am the Hokage first and foremost. My task is to keep this village safe, and I have done so for 40 long years through wars and attacks. And Naruto…Well, he is an important asset to this village. Him knowing the truth about his tenant and his heritage could have made him be at risk to escape the village, as you have clearly seen already."</p><p>Kakashi disagreed. "He would have been fine had someone been able to adopt him from the start. All he needed were kind words, support, encouragement. People that loved him." A frown made its way on his face. "You made him this way."</p><p>"A jinchūriki is too much military power for one non blood-related family to look after, we've been over this. Had someone adopted him, like you said, there would have been jealousy among the clan heads. Everyone wants to be able to get their hands upon such an abundant source of power."</p><p>The Hatake wanted to argue. A civilian family would have worked as well. But he knew what Hiruzen's view on that was. He thought that a civilian family would deter Naruto from pursuing a ninja career, and Konoha needed a powerful Jinchūriki to protect it. Giving him to a ninja family would have been too great of a shift in balance. So, the Hokage had planned to leave him at the orphanage until he was old enough to take care of himself. Unfortunately, that hadn't really gone as planned.</p><p>Sarutobi heaved a small sigh as he picked up the paperwork on his desk and placed it in front of him, his eyes skimming over their content. "How is his training coming along? If I recall, I allowed him to forego the academy in favor of having him focus on the training that you are giving him."</p><p>"It's going fine." Said Kakashi, gaze moving to the window and setting on the evening sun. "He should be done with it in about 10 months."</p><p>Hiruzen paused abruptly in his writing and looked up at the copy-nin. Setting his pen down, he steepled his fingers together and leaned back slowly in his chair. "You're planning to have him take the genin test near the end of the year." It wasn't a question but a statement. Hiruzen was smart, it wasn't hard for him to make the connection. Kakashi shrugged in affirmation, making the old Sarutobi frown slightly in doubt. "Do you really think that he is ready?"</p><p>"Right now, I'd put him at high-genin level," supplied the cyclops. "By the end of the year, he should be ready to take on most low to mid chūnins." He nodded slightly to himself at his pupil's assessment. "Besides, it's not that uncommon. I became Genin at 5 and Itachi became one at 7."</p><p>"We were at a time of war back then, Kakashi and Itachi was a prodigy like none I've seen before. Those were different circumstances." Hiruzen grumbled quietly to himself and closed his eyes. "Nevertheless, if you deem him ready, then I shall trust your judgement. I truly hope that you know what you're doing. Naruto has no friends of his own age, the only people he interacts with are you, me and the ramen chef. Not putting him in the academy to make friends puts him at risk to run away. He's tried it once; he will probably try it again."</p><p>Kakashi frowned, but inclined his head in acceptance.</p><hr/><p>"One extra-large miso for the young man!" Teuchi exclaimed jovially and placed the giant bowl of ramen in front of the drooling blond. Naruto quickly wiped his mouth with his sleeve and eagerly broke his chopsticks apart.</p><p>"Thank you for the food!"</p><p>The ramen chef chuckled as he began to wash the dishes at the back. Meanwhile, Ayame smiled at the blond as she leaned over the counter and watched him devour his food. "So, Whiskers. You been keeping up with your training?"</p><p>Naruto nodded vigorously. "Umh! Ish gwoingjj wehlh!"</p><p>Ayame reached over and bonked the top of his head with a ladle, making him yelp in pain. "Naruto! Don't talk with your mouth full!"</p><p>He quickly swallowed his food and rubbed the sore spot on his forehead. "Then don't ask me questions when I'm eating!"</p><p>Teuchi smiled fondly at the two bickering kids. He was glad Naruto came by quite often, it was nice for Ayame to be around someone close to her age.</p><p>Hearing a sudden scream, he dropped the pot that he was carrying. "Ayame!?" He called out.</p><p>"Dad!" The urgency in her voice made him grab the nearest kitchen knife and rush to the front. Though he stopped in his tracks at the scene being played out in front of him. A man with grey hair and a mask, carrying his favorite customer over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. And he was knocked out. And the masked man was rubbing a red spot on his forehead sheepishly. And Ayame was holding her ladle threateningly.</p><p>The ramen chef sighed. "Kakashi." He greeted as he tossed the knife onto the counter. Kakashi turned towards him and inclined his head in a greeting.</p><p>"Teuchi, it's nice to see you."</p><p>"Woah woah woah wait, you know this guy dad? He just knocked out Naruto!"</p><p>"It's fine Ayame," reassured the older man. "Kakashi is a friend." He turned back towards the Jōnin. "Though knocking him unconscious might have been a bit much, don't you think?" He reprimanded.</p><p>Kakashi shrugged. "Had to be done." He turned around and sent a lazy wave over his shoulder. "Later."</p><p>Ayame blinked as the weird man suddenly disappeared from her line of sight. "Where is he taking him!?"</p><p>Teuchi just sighed.</p><hr/><p>"Ungh-" The hard impact of his back meeting the ground woke him up from unconsciousness. Opening his eyes, he winced as the sun blinded him momentarily. 'Where the hell am I?'</p><p>"Wakey wakey." Came a voice he recognized as Kakashi. Quickly scrambling to his feet, the eight-year-old glared up at the masked man.</p><p>"What the hell was that for asshole, I was enjoying my ramen!"</p><p>Kakashi gave him an eye-smile. "This year's training starts now." He turned around and gestured to the area around him. "This here is training ground 44, also known as 'The Forest of Death', home to many giant and ferocious creatures, carnivorous plants and man-eating super-sized insects. Even Chūnins would think twice before venturing in here."</p><p>Naruto gulped nervously as the distant roar of <em>something</em> could be heard, almost as if to emphasize his point. "And you want me to…?"</p><p>Kakashi's smile seemed to grow bigger. "Why survive of course! I'll come get you once I think you've been in there long enough. Oh, and don't leave the forest, or I'll make you start over from zero. Good luck!" The Jōnin gave him a two fingered salute and disappeared in a puff of smoke, leaving a stupefied blond behind.</p><p>"What…the…fuck…"</p><p>In reality, Kakashi was still close by, he wanted to see what the blond would be doing first. He'd been debating this for a while, putting him in the forest. It was dangerous and incredibly unethical, but the boy had surprising survival skills and instincts. Living three months on the streets had done wonders, he wanted to see just what 6 months in a deadly forest would do. This place had plenty of animals and plants that he could eat, and he knew that he was ready to defend himself if need be.</p><p>He was going to be fine.</p><hr/><p>'God I hate this place, I hate this place, I hate this place.' Naruto lamented to himself. Only 10 minutes in this forest and he'd already been attacked twice. By rabid rabbits of all things! Since when did he have to be wary of rabbits!?</p><p>'When I see that damn Kakashi again, I am sooo gonna make him pay!'</p><p>He placed a hand on the hilt of his Tanto for comfort. At least he still had that. Though his pouch and scarf had been removed from him. He'd have to make-do.</p><p>He lifted up the dead rabbit by the ears and looked at its limp bloody corpse in slight guilt. He hadn't had the chance to eat that much at Ichiraku's and he was quickly getting hungry.</p><p>'Sorry buddy, but it's either you or me.'</p><p>And he definitely wasn't planning on dying in this forest.</p><hr/><p>
  <em>3 weeks later.</em>
</p><p>"AHHHHHHHHH!"</p><p>Birds flew away in fright as a giant white tiger, nearly the size of an elephant took down another tree with its powerful front legs, once more missing the tasty looking snack that was unnaturally fast and agile. The behemoth swiped at the pesky meat bag, growling in annoyance as it jumped above his paw making him miss once more. Throwing its massive head back, it let out an earth-shaking roar that made the blond boy lose his footing on the tree branches and drop down onto the floor.</p><p>"Goddamit!" Naruto dove to the side as a huge set of teeth came down with surprising speed. Cursing to himself, the blond took out his tanto, flipped it into a reverse grip and flashed forward using the shunshin. With a slight yell, he thrust the blade ahead, pushing onto the butt of his sword with his other hand for extra strength and buried it into the beast's left eye socket.</p><p>The tiger roared in pain and sent a vicious paw swipe at the blond, the giant appendage crashing into his side and sending him violently through the forestry. Coughing, he shakily stood back up and glared at the giant feline. He winced lightly and pressed his hand against his side making him hiss in pain. Just great, one of his ribs were either fractured or broken. He couldn't tell which, but he couldn't bring himself to care which one it was either. It hurt like a bitch regardless.</p><p>Just what the hell was he supposed to do against <em>that!?</em> And what was Kakashi thinking dumping him in a place like this!?</p><p>The white feline regained its bearings and set its angry slitted blue eye back onto the blond. One eye was now closed, though the fury in the other one was clearly evident. It growled and slowly stalked forward.</p><p>Naruto watched it getting closer and closer as hopelessness settled in his stomach. There was nothing he could do against that thing. He tried using his chains when he first encountered it, but it easily snapped them off like wet paper. His sword had disappeared somewhere in the bushes when the beast had lashed out, and a part of his mind was telling him that he wouldn't achieve much with hand to hand.</p><p>After everything…This was how it ended? During his training? "<strong>How Pathetic."</strong></p><p>Naruto's eyes snapped open in surprise. He knew that voice! Only one person had such a deep tone.</p><p>"Kyuubi?" The blond muttered to himself in surprise.</p><p>He heard a faint growl inside his mind once more. <strong>"Are you really going to let such a harmless kitten snuff you out so early?"</strong></p><p>Naruto said nothing in return. He'd already accepted his fate, there really <em>was</em> nothing he could do to fight it, and it probably could easily smell him if he tried to hide.</p><p><strong>"Hmph. I was wrong about you." </strong>And with that, he felt Kyuubi's presence retreat inside his mind.</p><p>Wrong about him? Did…Did the nine tails actually think him to be more capable than he let on? That was surprising. But…Now his opinion of him must have gone down considerably.</p><p>No…He couldn't let that happen. He would prove him wrong! He would prove Kakashi wrong! He'd prove the Hokage and those narrow-minded villagers wrong! He'd show everyone!</p><p>Rage swelled up deep within his stomach, bubbling, festering, like a dark and sinister presence fighting for control. He felt that hot painful feeling he recognized from the first time he tried to unlock his chakra. And against his better judgement, he pulled on it once more.</p><p>And to his surprise, it didn't resist.</p><p>Red chakra exploded around him as his pupils turned into narrow slits and his eyes bled to red. He snarled as the whiskers on his cheeks thickened and his hair stood on end. He felt stronger, so much stronger and could feel his ribs snapping back into place. But this energy, it felt so evil…He could almost feel himself slipping away.</p><p>The giant tiger, seeing its prey's aura increase tenfolds, shot forward with a loud roar of challenge. And with a roar of his own, Naruto ran towards the unstoppable behemoth.</p><p>Two red chains burst from the ground next to him, each nearly as thick as his mid-section. The chains flew forward and wrapped around its two front legs, making it stumble and stop in its tracks. It attempted to struggle against them, but they were much, <em>much</em> stronger than last time. Looking up in fright, it saw the blond turned red suddenly in front of its face with his fist cocked back.</p><p>With a vicious look in his twisted eyes, Naruto threw his fist forward with all his might, the resulting punch creating a small shockwave as the tiger was blown backwards several meters away. It rolled and tumbled and toppled a tree in its path, making it slow to a stop, unmoving. Naruto landed on the ground; face still contorted in fury. He growled and walked forwards, a chain through the brain would be more than enough to end it.</p><p>Though when he got to the down animal, something inside its glacial eye made him stop suddenly. Its eye was wide open, pupil dilated as it stared at him with a weird mixture of sentient fear and grim acceptance. It knew it was going to die. This time, it'd bitten off more than it could chew. And now, there was nothing it could do but accept its fate against the more powerful enemy.</p><p>Human and animal stared at each other for the duration of several heartbeats. The red aura around Naruto began to shrink, more and more until it had finally faded away, whisker marks and eyes returning to their original look. The tiger lifted its head ever so slightly and inclined it in submission.</p><p>The blond stared at the wild animal, all traces of evil leaving his mind as if it were never there in the first place. Raising his hand, he brought it up and rested his palm softly against the beast's forehead.</p><p><strong>"You are too soft…" </strong>Growled out the nine tails from within. A small smile appeared on the whiskered boy's face as he stroked the tiger's massive head. That was fine by him.</p><p>Something attached to its hind leg caught his attention. He couldn't quite make out what it was from here but it looked white, almost like a scroll. Pulling his hand away from its head, he circled around the tiger's massive body and approached the object.</p><p>It WAS a scroll, held in place by ninja wire wrapped around the base of its leg. And on it was the kanji for wind.</p><p>
  <em>A few ways above.</em>
</p><p>'Seems like I don't need to intervene after all.' Was the thought of a certain smut enthusiast. He was currently standing near the top of the canopy, a few meters away from where the fight had taken place and was masking his scent and presence to avoid detection from either of the combatants. He'd been worried that this tiger would have been too much for Naruto to handle, and he was fully prepared to step in when it had delivered a devastating blow to the blond. However, imagine his surprise when his semi pupil drew upon the power of his tenant to defeat the creature.</p><p>Predictably, the power of the nine tails was something to be admired. Drawing upon merely a fraction of its power, the boy had managed to completely overpower the much larger animal. The inhabitants of this place were much bigger and stronger than regular ones due to the very nature of the forest. These woodlands had been created by none-other than the first Hokage himself with the use of his wood-style, and the creatures that took residence here have been within direct contact with the Shodaime's potent chakra ever since.</p><p>What surprised him even more though was when the enraged blond had beaten the tiger -with a single punch mind you.- Instead of killing it, he'd decided to tame it, the menacing aura of the kyuubi retreating back into the seal! He didn't know why the blond decided to do that, but it was definitely a smart move. This tiger was at the top of the food chain around here and would definitely be a powerful ally.</p><p>How interesting. He wondered if he'd be able to find the rest of the scrolls he had hidden away.</p><hr/><p>
  <em>1 month later.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Drip…</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Drip…</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Drip…</em>
</p><p>Naruto slowly opened his eyes and looked at the leaky pipe in surprise. He was back in his seal? He didn't remember coming here. Last thing he remembered was finding refuge in a quiet area of the forest as Kori, the white tiger he named after the word 'ice', went back to its den. He'd quickly fallen asleep, lulled by the sounds of the forest. And now, here he was.</p><p>Feeling the familiar overbearing presence of the nine-tails, Naruto turned around and came face to face with his tenant, who was sitting upright in his cage for once, glaring down at him with barely-concealed fury.</p><p>"Hi Kyuubi." Naruto tried greeting with a small smile as he took a few steps towards the cage. The beast did not answer as its ruby eyes followed the boy.</p><p>"Um…" He shuffled awkwardly at the lack of response before he remembered something that made him look up with a smile. "By the way, thanks for your help that time, against the tiger! It really saved my butt, heheh…"</p><p>The fox continued to stare at the boy, frown still in place. A worried look crossed Naruto's features when he stayed silent.</p><p>"Is…Is something wrong?"</p><p>Kyuubi snarled as his glare seemed to increase. A bead of sweat appeared on the blond's forehead as pressure slowly began to build up within the sewers.</p><p><strong>"He told you." </strong>The fox growled in disdain.</p><p>Naruto raised an eyebrow. "Huh? Who told what?"</p><p>
  <strong>"That pitiful ox, he told you my name. Do not play dumb with me, I saw it."</strong>
</p><p>Naruto's shoulders dropped slightly at the memory. "Oh, that…Yeah. He did."</p><p>The blond's confirmation only seemed to anger the fox even more as his fur stood on end and his eyes widened in fury. <strong>"I should have strangled that pathetic octopus with his own tentacle when I had the chance. How dare he…How dare he reveal it to an unworthy human."</strong></p><p>Naruto looked down as the growls of the beast with nine tails continued to ring out throughout the seal. "Would you really do that?" Kyuubi looked down at the blond as he looked up to meet his eyes. "Would you kill your own sibling?"</p><p>The greatest Bijū glared down at him once more and crouched back down into a lying position, head still elevated. <strong>"Do not speak as if you knew me, human. And your irritating attempts to gain my trust are getting bothersome. What is it that you're truly after?"</strong></p><p>"I told you." Naruto frowned. "I want to help the Bijūs. I wanna set you free.</p><p>A cruel smirk appeared on the fox's face. <strong>"If you want to help me so bad, then remove the seal."</strong></p><p>"A way that doesn't kill the Jinchūrikis would probably be better." Replied the Uzumaki blandly.</p><p><strong>"And why should I believe you?" </strong>Kyuubi countered. <strong>"You humans are all the same, only after things that will benefit you as well, always turning everything into another way to kill others. From the very start, you have used us. Not only that, but you have turned the teachings of the sage from an instrument of peace to a weapon of war." </strong>His tone was low and held an edge to it, far different to the usual loud and growly type. <strong>"You have warped Ninshu into what you now call Ninjutsu, a gift that was given to help you wretched humans understand each other was used in yet another way to create more bloodshed." </strong>Kyuubi scoffed in derision. <strong>"You humans like to call us Bij</strong><strong>ū</strong><strong>s evil, yet when given the power, you are no better."</strong></p><p>Naruto's eyebrows furrowed in sadness. "Not all humans are like that…" He retorted feebly. "Some are good, some want to help." The fox snorted. "Then what about the Sage? He was a human too, wasn't he?" Insisted the blond.</p><p>The massive beast closed his eyes and rested his chin upon his paws. <strong>"The sage was the furthest thing to a human. He was a god in all but the name. He had control over life and death and commanded nature itself. He shaped the moon and created the nine bij</strong><strong>ū</strong><strong>s on his deathbed. Even as I am now, I could easily wipe out your village like it was nothing. He was infinitely more powerful than any of you can imagine."</strong></p><p>Damn. That…Was definitely impressive. If what the fox said was true, this sage created the ninja world and made the moon! He made these gigantic beasts and could revive dead people!? He couldn't even comprehend what kind of power was needed to do things like that.</p><p>But that wasn't what caught his attention the most.</p><p>"As you are now?" Questioned the blond, making the fox snap his eyes towards him. "What do you mean by that?"</p><p>Damn, the human had made him talk too much once again and now he'd revealed more than necessary. <strong>"It means nothing. Now leave."</strong></p><p>Naruto felt that feeling he knew all too well, like an invisible force trying to push him out of his mind. The fox was trying to kick him out again, like he'd done so many times before.</p><p>No.</p><p>This was his mind dammit!</p><p>The blond gritted his teeth as sweat began to form on his forehead from the effort of resisting the fox's attempt of kicking him out. He didn't know what exactly he was fighting against, but it was kinda working, he <em>was</em> still there. He balled his hands into fists and shut his eyes tightly as two chains erupted from his back and dug into the ground in an effort to keep himself anchored.</p><p>"Raaagh!" With one more push, an invisible force countered the one that the nine tails had made, making the fox frown in annoyance. The only power that he had from within the seal was to impose his will upon his container to force him to leave the mindscape. But this place was his warden's mind, if he tried hard enough, he could counter it.</p><p><strong>"So you wield those infuriating chains as well after all…" </strong>Snarled Kyuubi in irritation. Naruto, for his part was busy getting reacquainted with a thing called oxygen.</p><p>"Pant…Pant…This is…My mind! You can't just…Kick me out…Whenever you feel like it!" gasped out the whiskered boy. The nine tails huffed and closed his eyes, choosing to ignore the blond instead.</p><p>"Let me help you." Begged Naruto as he walked closer to the cage and placed his hands against the cold metal bars. "Something happened to you, right? You can tell me! I want to help you!"</p><p>Kyuubi said nothing in return, making Naruto's shoulders droop in disappointment. "Please, let me help you…"</p><p>After a few more seconds of the fox not saying anything, Naruto looked down dejectedly and turned around, slowly making his way back to the middle of the room. Just as he was about to leave however, he heard the great beast speak up.</p><p><strong>"I was split in half when I was sealed." </strong>Said Kyuubi reluctantly. "<strong>When that Yondaime sealed me into you, he took my Yin counterpart." </strong>He was stuck here anyway. If there was even the slightest possibility that this human was being truthful, then he didn't really have anything to lose by telling him.</p><p>Naruto turned around and stared at the fox. "Your…Yin counterpart?" He questioned, making Kyuubi 'tch'. The blond stared at him, awaiting further information making him sigh tiredly.</p><p><strong>"All living things are comprised of Yin and Yang. Yin is mental and spiritual, while Yang is the physical aspect of our biological form." </strong>He informed. <strong>"To put it simply, Yin is your energy while Yang is your body. Chakra itself is made by mixing Yin and Yang, it takes form when you combine your spiritual energy with your physical energy."</strong></p><p>Naruto blinked at the explanation as he tried to understand everything that was being said. "So…You're saying that you only have your physical form right now, and your energy was taken from you, right?"</p><p>Kyuubi huffed at the crude explanation. <strong>"A very dumbed down explanation, but yes, I suppose it will do."</strong></p><p>Naruto smiled widely in determination and pointed a finger at him. "I'm gonna get you your half back. And when I have, I'm gonna find all the Bijū and free them, and keep all the Jinchūrikis alive while doing so! I promise it." Declared the blond in conviction.</p><p><strong>"Good luck with that." </strong>Said the Nine-Tails sarcastically. <strong>"My Yin half is sealed inside of the Yondaime, who now dwells within the Shinigami's stomach."</strong></p><p>Naruto blanched at that. Oh man, the reaper? The God of Death himself? That made things a lot harder. He would have to find a way to talk to it, and hopefully convince it to release the fourth. And if he agrees, he will have to convince his…father…to release the Yin half and return it to him.</p><p>Easy…Right?</p><p>"That won't stop me. Once I make a promise, I don't go back on it. That's my way of the ninja."</p><p>The fox narrowed his eyes at the boy. <strong>"How foolish. But I suppose that right now, you are my only hope, as much as I loathe to admit it."</strong></p><p>Naruto smirked at the fox. A promise had been made, and now, he had a reason to keep fighting.</p><hr/><p>
  <em>4 months later.</em>
</p><p>Dark blue sandals landed on the forest floor of training ground 44. Sighing softly, Kakashi stretched his neck, making a few satisfying pops ring out in the deathly silent woodlands. He wasn't worried however, nothing in this place could hurt him.</p><p>"Hmm." He hummed as he looked around the forestry. He wasn't exactly hiding his presence, and he was near enough his student that he knew it would only be a matter of time before he would notice him in the area and come find him, so he opted to instead lean against a tree and pull out his favorite book in the hopes of getting some reading done.</p><p>Or at least, that was the plan. Until he felt something tugging at his feet. Looking down, he saw a small black fox of all things gnawing on his pants leg, making a few angry yipping sounds at the same time.</p><p>"What do we have here?" Mused Kakashi to himself as he crouched down to get a better view of the frisky creature. It looked up at him with its cute little amber eyes and growled, white tipped tail flicking behind him angrily. Just as he was about to reach out to pet it, a tanto came flying through the bushes, its intended target being the J<em>ō</em>nin's head.</p><p>The copy-nin easily leaned back, his eye never changing from its half-lidded bored look even as the blade buried itself on the trunk of the tree he was previously leaning against. Looking into the direction the blade had come from, he saw the small form of the eight-and-a-half-year-old boy that he'd taken under his wing those past few years. He looked different. Well, that wasn't exactly correct, he looked exactly the same save for him being a bit taller, his hair a bit longer and that small scar he could see behind his ear close to his neck. It was his aura that felt different. It was subtle, but it was there. More refined, cautious, in control.</p><p>"So you finally decided to show up." Remarked Naruto ironically. It had been six whole months since he'd dumped him in this place after all. He bent down when the black fox rushed over towards him and yipped at him in excitement. Smiling, he reached out and opened his hand to reveal a few red berries, which the small animal wasted no time to devour in seconds.</p><p>Kakashi watched the interaction in silence for a few moments, letting his student do his thing with the animals that he'd befriended in this place over the months.</p><p>"Are you ready to go back now?" He finally called out after waiting long enough.</p><p>"Mmh." Naruto confirmed as he waved at the fox, who yipped happily and disappeared into the bushes. Standing up, he raised himself to his full height and walked off into the direction of the gates without a word.</p><p>They made the trip back in silence.</p><hr/><p>"Got any coffee?"</p><p>Naruto sent his 'teacher' an irritated glare as he dried his wet hair with a towel. "I don't know, I haven't been here in six months." He probably did, the Hokage had brought some over a while ago, but he wasn't about to give him the satisfaction of telling him.</p><p>"Mah, no need to snap." Making his way to the kitchen, the sharingan wielder opened one of the cupboards and rummaged around in it in search of the heavenly black powder.</p><p>The whiskered boy sighed and threw the towel on a chair. A warm shower had felt nice, and his clothes were in dire need of some complete washing. For 6 months, the only way he'd been able to clean himself and his clothes were from bathing in the little river near the center of the forest.</p><p>"Found it, you can stop looking." Called out Kakashi from the kitchen. Naruto rolled his eyes as he gave his plants some much needed water. He was sure that they would have been dead by now, but it seemed like someone had stopped by every now and then to make sure they didn't dry out. He was grateful for that.</p><p>Walking back to his kitchen, he saw Kakashi finishing up his coffee as he turned the dial of the gas plates to the 'off' setting. Pouring it into a cup, he put a few spoonfuls of sugar, unscrewed the lid of the milk carton and tipped it upside down to pour it into the mug.</p><p>But nothing came out.</p><p>The carton definitely felt full though. He ignored the blond's deadpan stare as he sheepishly thought to himself. 'Right, civilian. No stasis seals.' That was fine, he didn't mind having it black.</p><p>"So…" Began Kakashi as Naruto sat in front of him on the dining table. "How was it?"</p><p>A glare was his response. "You dumped me in a forest."</p><p>"Yeah." Replied Kakashi.</p><p>"Full of giant animals."</p><p>"Uh-huh."</p><p>"Fuck you."</p><p>Kakashi feigned shock and dramatically pressed the back of his hand to his forehead. "Such language, did the animals teach you that?"</p><p>"Pfft." The whiskered boy scoffed and decided to ignore him for now.</p><p>Kakashi began to sip on his coffee, somehow managing to keep his mask on in the process. Leaning back, he sighed contentedly as the drink warmed his body. "There's something I haven't asked you yet, I wanted to give you time to come to terms with it."</p><p>Naruto turned back to look at him. "Ask me what?"</p><p>"Your parents." He said bluntly making Naruto flinch. "How do you feel about the whole thing?"</p><p>The boy looked down, tracing his finger along the wooden shapes of his dinner table. "I…I'm not sure. I'm glad I know the truth now, but…" He paused. "Now there's just a whole bunch of other questions that come up."</p><p>Kakashi nodded in understanding.</p><p>"And…" He trailed off. The masked man waited a few seconds for his student to continue.</p><p>"And…?" He prodded when he said nothing else. Naruto looked up furtively at him but bashfully re-set his focus on the table.</p><p>"Well…It sounds selfish, but…It would have been nice to have something from them, ya know?" He said dejectedly. He'd been thinking about that for a while. "It's stupid…" He muttered as he watched the steam rolling from the hot coffee.</p><p>Kakashi's eye curved up in amusement. "Ah, but they did."</p><p>The blond's eyes snapped up to him. "W-What?" He asked in apprehension.</p><p>"They did leave things for you." Repeated Kakashi. "That scarf," The jinchūriki reflexively placed a hand on his blue scarf at the mention of it. He didn't have it with him in the forest, so when he'd gotten home, he'd immediately put it back on. It was the second thing he'd done. It made him feel safe. "Your mother made it for you."</p><p>A knot formed in his throat as he lifted up an end of the scarf. "She did…?"</p><p>"Sure did." He said jovially. "And that toy you love so much," Naruto blushed slightly at the mention of it. It was embarrassing, but it was the first thing he'd gone to see upon arriving home. "Your father bought it for you before you were even born. He was sure that you would have had loads of fun with that little drum."</p><p>The knot in his throat seemed to manifest in his belly as well and moisture began to gather in the corner of his eyes. He couldn't believe it, this whole time…His two most prized possessions had come from his parents. Kakashi had told him that they were excited to have him, but there was always that little doubt in his mind. But now…Now he was sure.</p><p>They did love him.</p><p>Kakashi smiled slightly as he stood up from his chair, coffee in hand. 'Guess I'll take this one to go.' He thought to himself. He should let the kid have the rest of the week off, he deserved it. Making his way to the door, he opened it and stepped out, leaving the shaking blond with his thoughts.</p><hr/><p>"Everything is in order?" Questioned a calm and commanding voice. Ringed purples eyes flickered to his subordinate, a man half black and half white with a venus fly trap surrounding his head.</p><p><strong>"Yes, leader-sama. </strong>All traces of his trip from the leaf to here has been erased.<strong>" </strong>While the black half had a deep and raspy voice, the white part had a more jovial and normal tone. <strong>"The ring is also ready." </strong>He said as he handed a red ring to his leader.</p><p>The leader nodded and fixed his gaze onto the Uchiha prodigy. "Now, Itachi. You know what you must do."</p><p>Itachi nodded as he was handed the ring and slipped it onto his right ring finger. It was kind of tight, but he could manage. Pulling his leaf headband out of his new Akatsuki cloak, he stared at it for a few moments, almost with a longing look before he placed it on the tree post in front of him and dragged a kunai across Konoha's motif. Looking at his work, he picked up the headband and tied it back onto his head.</p><p>"Then it's settled. Itachi Uchiha, you are now a member of the Akatsuki. Welcome." He said in the same monotonous tone he had become accustomed to. "My name is Pein, but you will refer to me as Leader-sama. You shall wear the red ring 'crimson' and take on the missions you will be assigned to."</p><p>Kneeling in front of his new leader, Itachi nodded. "Yes, Leader-sama."</p><p>"Good." Said Pein as he turned around and walked off. "Juzo Biwa will be your partner. I trust you two will work well together."</p><p>Itachi turned around and laid his eyes on Juzo, who inclined his head in greeting. All around him, the other members of the Akatsuki who were overseeing the arrival of the new recruit dispersed in their own direction.</p><p>Jūzō was a tall slender shinobi about the same height as the sword he wielded. He had no eyebrows, creases under his eyes and a cross shaped scar on his right cheek. His hair and eyes were dark gray in color and his hair was short and spiky. He had light tan skin and had red grid-shaped paint covering his jaw. He didn't seem too bad, looking laidback enough to not be totally psychotic like most S-ranks had a tendency to be, so he supposed he got lucky this time.</p><p>But damn, he missed Konoha.</p><p>He missed his little brother.</p><hr/><p>It was nice to be on the streets of Konoha again. The constant green of the forest was cool and all, but after a while it just became repetitive. He'd missed Konoha's architecture and the carved faces of the Hokages on the stone mountain. Even though he had lots of bad memories from this place, he had to admit; Konoha truly was a beautiful place.</p><p>Though, he could do without the glares and the whispers. He couldn't really make it all out from here, but he managed to catch a few words that gave him an inkling. They'd thought that he'd disappeared over the months, and they were disappointed that he was back.</p><p>Lovely.</p><p>Still, he wouldn't let that deter him. He was glad to be out of the forest, even though he had made good friends with the wild life in there, but it had one problem.</p><p>It didn't have ramen.</p><p>Kakashi had offered to treat him to a few bowls, and he was only too happy to accept. Hey, free ramen. Who could say no to that? Said J<em>ō</em>nin was currently walking next to him, nose buried in his book as usual, but that was fine. Naruto was content with taking in the familiar sights.</p><p>"What the-" He started when he felt Kakashi grab onto the back of his collar and jump to the side, carrying the blond with him. Barely a second later, loud shouts from the ANBU could be heard as a body dropped right where the pair had previously been in. Screams of frightened civilians could be heard as most of them ran far away from the street, though a few curious ones stayed nearby to watch the proceedings.</p><p>Naruto looked at the dead body in shock as Kakashi stood protectively in front of him. Two ANBU dropped down next to the corpse, Boar and Bird. Bird immediately kneeled in front of Kakashi out of reflex. "Captain." He called out.</p><p>"I'm not your superior anymore Bird, don't bow to me." Said Kakashi briskly. "What's the situation?" Bird quickly stood back up as Boar went to inspect the body.</p><p>"We found this Iwa nin snooping around near the eastern perimeter." Ah, Iwa. He knew he recognized that symbol somewhere, this man was from the land of earth. If he recalled his weekend studies correctly, Iwa was on very bad terms with Konoha after the three wars. But still…This man was put down like an animal, no questioning or jury. Was this really right? "When he was found out, he immediately attempted to escape, but Boar managed to incapacitate him." Continued Bird.</p><p>"How the hell did he get past the barrier?" Questioned Kakashi in surprise.</p><p>As Bird was busy briefing Kakashi about the event, Naruto slowly approached the downed body of the stone ninja. He had short black hair and a strong jaw with the tanned complexity that came with the harsh sun of the land of earth. He was wearing the regular Iwa shinobi garbs, red and brown colors to blend in with the environment.</p><p>His face though, that was what drew his attention the most. It was twisted in pain, forever stuck in this expression of horror thanks to rigor mortis. Something white caught his eye, something poking out of his pocket. Bending down, he reached inside a pulled out a small slip of paper.</p><p>Only…It wasn't paper, but a photograph. That same man, grinning broadly as a small girl looking to be a about 5 or 6 hung off his strong arm like a little monkey. They both looked so happy…</p><p>This man was a father. What would this girl think when her father wouldn't be coming home?</p><p>Naruto's face contorted into sadness as his gaze went back to the visage of the stone ninja. Reaching forward, he placed his two forefingers on both eyelids and closed them, making the ninja look at least a little bit more peaceful.</p><p>Three kunais to the spine had killed him. He remembered once reading that the kunai was originally used as a gardening tool, but ninjas have begun to use them as a weapon over time.</p><p>
  <strong>
    <em>You humans are all the same, always turning everything into another way to kill others.</em>
  </strong>
</p><p>The words of the nine tails were beginning to make a little more sense…</p><p>A hand placed onto his shoulder made him look back. He saw Kakashi standing behind him sadly, an expression he hadn't seen before in his eyes. Standing up, Naruto reluctantly turned to face him and handed the photograph to his teacher.</p><p>"This guy…He has a daughter." Kakashi took the picture and stared at it forlornly.</p><p>"Looks like it." He replied softly. Bending down, the copy-nin placed the picture back into the dead man's pocket and turned back to Bird and Boar. "Your superior will be here shortly. Await his instructions." Standing back up and ignoring the replies of 'yes sir', he put his hand on Naruto's shoulder again and nudged him in a different direction. "Come on, let's get out of here."</p><p>Naruto nodded sadly and followed after the Jōnin, casting one last look at the dead body.</p><hr/><p>"What are we doing out here?" Naruto looked around the unfamiliar fields of training ground 4. It was a lot lusher than training ground 7 and lacking wooden dummies, but their usual training grounds were currently being used by a genin team.</p><p>"We are doing the second part of this year's training." Supplied Kakashi as he landed next to the jinchūriki. The plan<em> was </em>to go get some Ichiraku's but after the events from earlier, he wanted to do something that would keep the blond's mind occupied. "Over the last few years, I've taught you the basics. You've picked up a few jutsus here and there, from me or from outside sources. Those past 6 months, you were left in this forest to bring out your survival instincts and your fighting spirits." Naruto turned to face him as he kept going. "The next 5 months will be wrapping up your training with a nice little bow. We'll be refining everything you've learned so far. Every day, you will be fighting me. Over, and over, and over again until I think you are ready.</p><p>Naruto raised an eyebrow at him. "And what happens after those 5 months?"</p><p>The copy-nin offered him an eye smile. "You either take the Genin test, or you go to the academy. It all depends on your progress."</p><p>He shivered at that. There wasn't anything <em>wrong</em> with the academy, it was a good program. But, it sounded boring, and most of the things taught there wouldn't help him on the battlefield. He needed to become stronger.</p><p>Besides…He was not really good at social interaction.</p><p>"So unless I impress you, you're sending me to the academy?" He summarized making Kakashi nod absent-mindedly as he kept reading his book, much to his consternation.</p><p>"When do we begin?" Questioned the blond. The sharingan wielder looked up at the sky with a bored expression.</p><p>"Right now." Kakashi disappeared from the boy's line of sight. Naruto cursed under his breath and dove backwards on instinct, narrowly avoiding the J<em>ō</em>nin's jab.</p><p>"Good." Praised the scarecrow. "Take up your stance." He ordered, making Naruto quickly get into his position, right leg bent slightly and left leg standing straight, right hand near his face with his left hand closer to his mid-section.</p><p>"Sloppy." Remarked the teacher. "Lock those elbows." Naruto quickly did so as his teacher slowly circled him, watching his stance with a critical eye.</p><p>"Strike." He commanded. Naruto lauched forward and threw a punch at Kakashi, which was easily blocked and countered making the blond stumble back.</p><p>"You're not in a circus." He admonished. "Don't waste energy in big movements, strike fast and strike true." Naruto righted himself and nodded, sweat rolling down his forehead. Naruto engaged him once more, but was easily taken down again by a leg sweep. "Wrong, footwork."</p><p>The blond shot back to his feet and planted his feet down firmly, taking up his fighting stance once more. "Better, strike!" And he did as instructed, better and stronger this time, but still no match to the might of the sharingan wielder. He was launched back within seconds but managed to remain on his feet. <em>Wind style: air bullets! </em>He called out in his mind. Making the bird hand sign, Naruto took in a deep breath and spat out several highly condensed balls of wind that flew towards the Jōnin at great speed. To his surprise though, Kakashi spat out a few balls of fire the same size as his air bullets that completely nullified them and continued in its course, now being larger by the added fuel from the oxygen.</p><p>Naruto crossed his arms in front of him as the balls of fire impacted into him. Quickly patting his clothes to put tem out, he got back into his stance and glared at Kakashi. "Wind is weak to fire, remember that."</p><p>The two kept on sparring until the sun had set.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. First step</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"Where the hell is it!?"</p><p>"Shhh!"</p><p>Naruto turned around and smiled apologetically at the people frowning at him in disapproval.</p><p>"Heheh, sorry…" He whispered. The other occupants of the library went back to their literature without another word, making the blond Jinchūriki sigh quietly in relief and scratch his cheek awkwardly. Note to self, keep emotions in check while in the library.</p><p>But still, he swore he'd seen that book somewhere when he was doing his pranking research on Maito Gai all those years ago, this old tome about the Shinigami that was nearly falling apart from age.</p><p>'Okay, I swear it was somewhere in this section.' He ground his teeth in frustration when the book was clearly <em>not</em> there anymore and resisted the urge to pull his hair out. Where was that damn book!?</p><p>His search went on for another 15 minutes and he was about ready to throw in the towel. Putting a finger under his chin, Naruto frowned in thought as he tried to figure out his next step of action.</p><p>'Maybe the Librarian knows?' It was a reach, but better than nothing. With the amount of dust he saw on that book when he'd seen it, no one had seemed to have touched it in years.</p><p>"Excuse me" He whispered to the librarian behind the counter that was squinting down at a bunch of documents. The woman blinked and lowered her head to peer at him from the bridge of her glasses.</p><p>"Can I help you deary?"</p><p>He'd always liked this lady, never looking at him with mean eyes or whispering under her breath, treating him like any old lady would treat a child. He didn't know if it was because of her lack of knowledge about him or if she simply didn't care, but that didn't really matter to him.</p><p>"Have you seen this super dusty looking book?" Naruto questioned. "Brown, made of leather, has a string that wraps around it?"</p><p>The lady's eyes blinked in surprise. "That tome on the Shinigami? What on earth do you need that old thing for?"</p><p>"Ah," The Uzumaki looked off to the side nervously. "School project?"</p><p>The librarian frowned slightly in suspicion before shaking her head in exasperation. Really, kids these days. "Academy students shouldn't have to worry about such topics, sonny. Only special Jonin levels and above can access it at the back."</p><p>Well that was disappointing. Curse this 8-year-old body of his that didn't have any clearance anywhere! But he was a pretty sly guy, maybe he could sneak past her while she wasn't looking.</p><p>It was a few minutes later when he saw his opportunity. The librarian's pen rolled off the side of her table making her mutter in annoyance and reach down in search for it. Swiftly moving forward, he quietly opened the door and slipped inside with none being the wiser.</p><p>The back room seemed pretty similar to the main room, although it looked slightly smaller. The bookcases were different as well, being made of expensive looking ebony.</p><p>Better start looking for it before she realized he was here.</p><p>
  <em>5 minutes later.</em>
</p><p>'No. Nope, not here. No. No…Is that mold? Ew." He wiped his hand against his pants as he pushed the books away and looked at the bottom row of the book case.</p><p>"Ah, found it!" He exclaimed to himself <em>quietly</em>. Carefully picking up the old leather book in fear of having it fall apart in his hands, he placed it onto a table and flipped the tome open.</p><p>The pages were blotched in yellow from age, and the words were written in some strange cursive variant. Not only that, but more than half of the words seemed to be missing, much to his chagrin. He'd have to decipher it by himself.</p><p>
  <em>Shinobi age ..4…5 …clan of Uzumaki.</em>
</p><p>Those simple words already nearly knocked the wind out of his lungs. Why? Why was his clan mentioned in this? How exactly were they involved with the Shinigami? And what was this book doing here in Konoha?</p><p>
  <em>Shinigami….God of Death…</em>
  <em>Spirit…invites humans…Death... Creatur… …arkness.</em>
</p><p>He frowned at the macabre words. All of those seemed very unpleasant. Continuing his attempt at deciphering more about the Shinigami, he quickly skimmed through the legible content and flipped to the next page coming across a very interesting passage.</p><p>
  <em>Contract lost…Give…...yo…soul...Ritual….Instated….Uzumaki clan….seals…reach….realm of livi….afterlife.</em>
</p><p>From what he could garner from this, some sort of ritual was involved, and your soul was the price to pay for it to work. Did that mean he would die? If he did manage to get in contact with the reaper, maybe there was a way he could persuade him otherwise?</p><p>The next few pages appeared to be talking about the actual ritual and sealing process. Prayer beads were invoved, and so were curse marks. A line in particular about the reaper plunging his arm into your soul made him quickly move on to the next subject.</p><p>
  <em>Free…Dea.. …emon Cons…ing Seal…..elease….Mask….Stomach…..ut open…..Shinigami will…..any soul insid….</em>
</p><p>The souls could be released if you put on a mask and used a technique called dead demon consuming seal. Or at least, that's what he could understand from it. Unfortunately, he doubted that something so simple was all that he needed to do. Many pages had been ripped out and whatever ones were left were barely distinguishable. He was nearing the end of the book now which held a few drawings and motifs, the only page in the book that had anything but faded writing.</p><p>Some brief mentions of an Uzumaki temple with the clan symbol near the outskirts of Konoha kept coming up every now and then. They must have built one when Konoha had made their alliance with his clan's village. Maybe <em>that's</em> how the book got here. It would make sense that important valuables would be transported back to the allied country. He needed to look for it. Not just for the seal, but for his own sake as well. He wanted to learn as much as possible about his clan.</p><p>Looking across to the drawings, he saw one that depicted a pretty scary-looking mask. If he wasn't wrong, that was a Hannya, a demonic looking face adorned with horns. Huh, interesting. He assumed that this was the mask needed for the ritual.</p><p>Below was a small motif showing a red symbol with the label "Uzumaki" scribbled under it in actual hand writing, unlike the rest that seemed to have been typed. It was pretty basic, consisting only of a red spiral. But…</p><p>He'd seen that symbol before. On the back of those chūnin vests and many other clothes made in Konoha.</p><p>Curiouser and curiouser.</p><p>'So, the death god can be summoned,' he summarized in his head. 'But what I'm looking for is this mask that's apparently in this Uzumaki place that I've never heard of but somehow was there all along, and in that place is a Shinigami mask that I need.'</p><p>It was a stretch, but it's what he was able to garner from the incoherent words in the book. All he had to do was find that temple near the outskirts and find the mask.</p><p>Simple, right?</p><p>Yeah, as if it ever was that easy.</p><p>
  <em>5 hours later.</em>
</p><p>'This place has probably seen better days…' Was the thought of the 8-year-old. He'd been looking well over 5 hours for it with the help of his shadow clones. Konoha was a big place, so it had taken him a while. But eventually, a clone had dispelled in this general area and informed him of its location.</p><p>The entrance loked to have collapsed upon itself, leaving only a tiny gap as the entry way. The roof had several holes in it and the fences on the sides were barely hanging on. If it weren't for the big red spiral above the doorway, he would have thought he was at the wrong place.</p><p>Crawling under the debris that blocked off most of the entrance, the blond shook his head to free it of the dust that had stuck to his hair and squinted inside the darkness. It was getting pretty late at night, and dying sun rays were barely providing sufficient lighting. It didn't take him too long for his eyes to adjust however.</p><p>There it was…It wasn't difficult to find, this entire temple seemed to have been built solely for these masks, much to his disappointment. The room was tiny, probably the size of a regular sized bedroom. And on the far wall was a podium where 26 facemasks with varying facial expressions were hung into three rows of 9, with one gap near the top row.</p><p>One was missing? Knowing his luck, it was probably the one he was after. The book had shown an illustration of the mask itself, and while they all looked pretty similar, he would be able to recognize it if he saw it.</p><p>He didn't.</p><p>'Why am I not surprised…' He thought contemptuously.</p><hr/><p>Sasuke Uchiha was faced with a conundrum.</p><p>He saw that blond kid again, the one he'd met two years ago. He was running off to the south for some unknown reason with a determined look in his eyes, and he'd been debating if he should've followed him.</p><p>He wanted to speak with the boy again. Not only to thank him for accidentally saving Izumi, but also to have a training partner. He'd been doing his own routine by himself when he met him the first time and he wasn't even in the academy, so he assumed that he was a special case. He was probably pretty strong.</p><p>But while he wanted to approach the boy, the words of Itachi kept playing out in his head. His exiled brother had wanted him to befriend him and, despite everything that Izumi was telling him, he couldn't help but associate Itachi as an evil person. Why would he voluntarily do anything he told him to do? He murdered his clan, his entire family! And as if that wasn't enough, he showed him the deed, over and over and over again until his mind was broken and his spirits were shattered. Mental therapy had become less a need and more of a necessity.</p><p>Itachi was still very much a sore spot for the dark-haired boy. Ever since the incident, he threw himself harder into his training, each day pushing himself further than the previous one for the sole purpose of being able to one day confront Itachi. He needed to be stronger, to be better. And once he was, he would take him down and get his answers.</p><p>He didn't know what he would do once he'd beaten him however. He hated Itachi with a passion and he would like nothing more than to see him begging at his feet, but some tiny part of his mind couldn't help but question his motives, to question the truth. In his 7 years of brotherhood with the prodigy, he'd always seemed to be a pacifist, someone that would prefer to find peaceful answers before resorting to force and violence. He'd always looked out for him as his older sibling. He would comfort him when he was sad and play with him when he was lonely, he'd accompany him to the academy in the morning and walk back with him on the way home, he'd even let him train with him and try out his ANBU equipment sometimes.</p><p>Then why? Why would he do such a thing? A kind and caring pacifist like him, slaughtering his own blood, his parents that had raised him and cared for him, his cousins that were barely old enough to read, his old aunts and uncles that just wanted to drink their tea peacefully and reminisce about the past.</p><p>Why was he the only one that had been spared?</p><p>"Sasuke and Kiba, come on down for your sparring match!" Called out his teacher, Iruka. The boy in the furred hoodie jumped off his chair and whooped in excitement, his companion barking with the same energy. The Uchiha sighed as he got off his chair and made his way down the steps, trying his best to ignore the cheering girls next to him.</p><p>Whatever the reason was, whatever Izumi thought, Sasuke didn't think he could ever forgive what Itachi had done, even if there was a good reason for it. At the end of the day, his family was still dead, and there was nothing he could do that would bring them back.</p><p>He <em>would </em>get his answers, even if he had to step over a few corpses along the way.</p><p>He reached the sparring courtyard and got into his clan's stance, the interceptor fist. Kiba smirked and got down on all fours, Akamaru hopping onto his back. Looking at both fighters, Iruka's raised hand descended into a chopping motion. "Begin!"</p><hr/><p>Naruto shot forward and threw a quick jab at the masked man, who evaded the attack effortlessly. Quickly ducking under the incoming kick, he hopped back as a chain shot out of the earth and wrapped around the J<em>ō</em>nin's ankle. Kakashi was suddenly replaced by a wooden log as the chain slammed it against the ground and reduced it to splinters. The blond clicked his teeth in impatience as he dug into his pouch and pulled out a smoke bomb, throwing it at the ground and blocking the scarecrow's vision.</p><p>Kakashi was immediately on his guard. He'd been fighting this kid for 5 months now, he knew how tricky he could be. The sound of an object cutting through the air made him dash to the side, avoiding a kunai with a small parachute attached to it. 'A distraction!' Doing a 180, Kakashi threw a heavy kick at the blond that had suddenly appeared next to him, catching him by surprise and making him dispel in a cloud of smoke. Another blond blur appeared behind the taller man as he sliced his tanto at the back of the copy-cat's neck. Much to his surprise though, the man in front of him began to turn into a shade of blue and was suddenly engulfed in a shower of lightning.</p><p>"Ngh!" Naruto attempted to fight back the sporadic spasms of his muscles from the lightning clone and clenched his fists in frustration. Even after 5 months, no matter how hard he tried, he could still not land a single hit on the J<em>ō</em>nin. Taking in a deep breath, he faced the copy-cat that had landed a few paces in front of him and went through a few hand seals. <em>Tiger, dog, rabbit, snake. </em>'Wind style: Great Breakthrough!' Moulding chakra into his lungs and converting it into wind nature, he unleashed a large blast of wind from his mouth straight at the masked man, who only brought a hand up to cover his eyes and applied chakra to his feet to stay in place.</p><p>Running forward, Naruto went through a few more hand signs. <em>Boar, rabbit, horse, ram. </em>Clenching his right hand into a tight fist at his side, he suddenly shot it forward, a small compressed shockwave of air shooting out of his fist. 'Wind style: Soaring fist!' The ball of air sailed through the air, making the J<em>ō</em>nin harden his stance and weather the brunt of the attack. It crashed into the man's stomach and sent him skidding back, though it didn't seem to have much other effect on him. Cursing, Naruto body flickered forward and jumped high, attempting to throw a right hook at his opponent, who casually leaned back and sent a downwards chop at the boy's back. Grunting, Naruto landed heavily into a crouched position before jumping back up and raising his fist into an uppercut, followed by a high kick and a flurry of punches who were all expertly dodged much to his frustration.</p><p>Growing tired of the constant evasions, Naruto stopped his barrage and ran around the J<em>ō</em>nin, trying to find a weak spot in his guard, though Kakashi wasn't planning to keep him out of his sight as he watched him circle around carefully. Taking out his tanto, he dashed forward and stabbed at the man's right shoulder but was parried by a kunai. Kakashi leaned out of the way of another punch and threw one of his own at the boy's face sending him crashing into the ground.</p><p>Scrambling to his feet, Naruto was about to jump back into action only to suddenly stop to avoid running head first into the pointed end of a kunai.</p><p>"Do you surrender?" Asked the J<em>ō</em>nin in a lazy tone. Naruto glared at the kunai for a few tense seconds before exhaling and falling back into a sitting position. He brought a hand over to his face, nursing his sore cheek where Kakashi's mean right hook had landed and cursed under his breath.</p><p>"Dammit."</p><p>"Now now." Chided the j<em>ō</em>nin as he flipped his book open. "No need to get angry. You're getting better."</p><p>Naruto grumbled and took a sip from his water bottle. "Not enough apparently, I can't even touch you."</p><p>"Not sure what you were expecting," Started Kakashi lazily as he turned a page. "I used to be ANBU."</p><p>The blond sighed and lied down on his back, basking in the feel of the morning dew on the grass to cool his body down. The masked man closed his book and turned to face the blond. "On your feet."</p><p>Naruto stood up without a second thought. He recognized that tone from experience and knew better than to question him. Standing straight and at attention, Kakashi crossed his arms and looked at him with a serious expression.</p><p>"Today marks the last day of our training together." Said the scarecrow, making the blond look at him in strangely. "Tomorrow at 13:00, you will report to the academy and give this official letter to whoever is in charge inside of room 304." He handed him a slip of paper as his mind began to race. Oh no, what was going on? Was he being sent to the academy? A nervous expression crossed his features, though he knew better than to interrupt the former ANBU while he was in his serious mode.</p><p>"You will attend the Genin exam and follow the instructions given. Study hard tonight, there will be a written exam. Make sure that all your tools are sharpened and organized, prepare adequately."</p><p>Naruto's mouth hung opened in poorly concealed surprise. He'd done it! He had his approval! He didn't have to go through the academy after all. Tomorrow he would be becoming a ninja! A mix of dread and excitement formed into a ball in the pit of his stomach. All those years of training would be over, but…A new life was going to take its place, one that was much more dangerous and unforgiving.</p><p>A hand landed atop his head, startling him out of his thoughts as he looked up at Kakashi, who was now looking at him with an eye smile. "You're going to do fine." He stated confidently as he removed his hand. "Also, you should consider getting some Shinobi clothing. Those civilian ones you have on offer no protection or storage space." He lifted up an end of his blue scarf and frowned slightly. "You should also keep that at home. It'll only get in the way."</p><p>He didn't want to leave his precious scarf behind but, he knew that Kakashi was right. Enemies could easily grab onto it or he could trip on it if he wasn't careful. Plus, there was the chance that it would get ruined and he absolutely did not want that. With a nod, Naruto straightened up and saluted the older man playfully. "Yessir!"</p><hr/><p>Was he ready for this?</p><p>He closed the door behind him with a soft click and adjusted his grey jumper. At his teacher's behest, he'd decided to change his outfit to something a bit more practical. He now wore a grey top with short sleeves, a red spiral on the back and a grey hood coming with it to cover his blindingly blond locks in the case of emergency sneakiness. Underneath his grey jumper was a skin tight shinobi mesh shirt for added protection that tucked inside simple black shinobi pants with a tool pouch behind the right hip and a kunai pouch on the right thigh. Standard black shinobi sandals finished his new look as he stuffed his bare hands inside the pockets of his jumper. He wasn't wearing any gloves; they weren't all that comfortable…</p><p>The life ahead of him was one that he knew for a fact to probably be the most gruesome life a human could have. After his research on the grim reaper a few months ago, he'd become interested in what other secrets were tucked away inside that library. And the results were surprising. It contained pretty much everything, ranging from the history of the shinobi world, to the foundations of the great villages, to the great wars, the bijuus, the three sannins, the kages. All of that was immensely interesting to the boy, having always liked reading when he was much younger. However, the most interesting parts were biographies, manuscripts, quotes from the old ages and from veterans.</p><p>They described the story of their lives, what drove them, what they fought for, what they believed in. And while they were all varying stories, one thing seemed to be present in all of them.</p><p>War was hell. It took everything from you until there was nothing left. And after that, it took even more. In the end, there were no winners. Only men and women with broken spirits that had lost more than anybody should. To be shinobi meant living a cursed life. It was something that required your blood sweat and tears and an immense amount of sacrifice. Human greed was ever present, be it for money or power, which drove men and women to unfathomable actions and turned their comrades against the other, creating only more strife. If he was going down that path, then he needed to devote his whole being to it.</p><p>Alas, he couldn't do all of this alone. As much as he wanted to tell himself that he'd just not make any bonds to make it easier, he knew he couldn't spend his entire life in solitude, only looking out after himself. He'd done that for 6 years of his life, and he didn't think he could do any more. He could not cope with the loneliness for much longer.</p><p>He could die at any moment. And whatever friends and allies he made could die at any moment as well.</p><p>His eyes steeled as he neared the academy and he took a deep breath to calm his frayed nerves. Whatever the future had in store; he had no choice but to take it head on.</p><hr/><p>"-the basic rules of a shinobi as well as some of the History lessons that we've been going over. The second section will be focused primarily on mathematics." A unanimous groan seemed to echo within the classroom at that, making the academy teacher Suzume frown sternly and re-adjust her glasses. "No complaining now, you've had plenty of time to study sufficiently for this."</p><p>A knock drew the attention of the germophobe as she turned her head towards the door. "Come in!" She called out. After a few seconds, the door slowly opened to reveal a small grey wearing blond boy, younger than any other kid in her classroom. The kid looked around for a few seconds before turning back to her. "Can I help you with something young man?" She asked as she approached him.</p><p>God, he already hated this place. The way all those bratty looking kids were staring at him, some snickering and whispering to their friends, some looking at him like he was a lost puppy. His introverted anxiety began to rear its ugly head as he resisted the urge to stare down at his feet and hide inside of his jacket.</p><p>He walked forward to meet her halfway and wordlessly handed her the folded-up piece of paper that Kakashi had given him. She took it and skimmed it over quickly as the other students watched on in curiosity.</p><p>Suzume turned to the students in the classroom and began speaking. "Alright everyone, we have a new student that will be taking the exam with us. Please treat him well." She turned back to Naruto and gave him a kind smile. "You can go and sit next to Yuna. Yuna, please raise your hand."</p><p>Naruto looked around the room as nobody moved, becoming more and more distressed as time went on. An irritated tick mark appeared on Suzume's forehead as she closed her eyes in exasperation and crossed her arms. "Yuna!" She barked out sharply, making a dozing brunette shoot up in her seat in surprise.</p><p>"Huh? Wha-"</p><p>"As I was saying…" Repeated Suzume in a warning tone. "This new student will be taking the test with us. Please raise your hand so he knows where to sit."</p><p>The half-asleep academy student slowly raised her hand and Naruto nervously made his way up the stairs. Moving further against to the side to let the blond sit down, Yuna rested her chin on the palm of her hand as she curiously watched the younger boy from the corner of her eye.</p><p>"Now where was I…Ah, right. The second section of the written test will be mathematics. We will then move along into a sparring match against our instructor Mizuki who will be arriving shortly. You must last at least 2 minutes against him without being pushed out of the ring to be eligible to pass. Next will be-"</p><p>"Psst." Called out Yuna discreetly to the whiskered boy next to her, who was listening intently to the instructions. Naruto blinked in surprise and turned towards the brunette that was trying to get his attention.</p><p>"Huh?"</p><p>Yuna raised an eyebrow. "So, what are you like…7?"</p><p>Naruto furrowed his brow as he turned back towards the teacher and tried his best to listen to what she was saying. "No, I'm 8." He said in a small tone. His desk-mate looked unimpressed.</p><p>"Wow, big difference." She waited for a reply, but when she was met with none she continued. "Aren't you a bit young to be taking the exam? What were your parent thinking sending you here now?"</p><p>His face remained unchanged and unmoving, but his fists balled slightly against his lap. The girl frowned at his lack of response and looked back at her teacher, listening to her talk more about the test.</p><p>"-at least 10 points in total for shurikenjutsu. The fourth and final part will be Ninjutsu, which will consist of three academy techniques that you have been taught during the years-"</p><p>Yuna looked at him once more. "What's your name anyway?"</p><p>Naruto met her eyes as a look of slight dubiety crossed his features. Man, were all girls this age so talkative? He was having trouble hearing what the teacher was saying.</p><p>"I'm Naruto." He said finally. Yuna pursed her lips and covered her mouth as her eyes crinkled in amusement.</p><p>"Pfft, you're named after a ramen topping?" She said trying to hold back her laughter. Naruto looked affronted and was about to riposte when Suzume beat him to the punch.</p><p>"You two! Pay attention!" Yuna rolled her eyes and stared ahead as the blond next to her straightened up and lowered his head in embarrassment.</p><p>More minutes ticked by as the bored students listened to the academy instructor finish up her explanation.</p><p>"I'm Yuna." She finally said after a long pause. Not that she needed to, he'd already heard it when the teacher had called out to her. Despite that, Naruto nodded but stayed silent.</p><hr/><p>Shortly after, Suzume has handed out the written exam to every student in the room. And frankly, he was not impressed. These were very basic questions. What was the first Hokage's kekkei genkai called? What was the name of the third's personal summon? While he supposed it was good knowledge, it definitely was not something that was needed to see if you had what it took to be a shinobi. This information would not be useful out in the field. The mathematics portion was a bit more applicable, but still pretty simple in his opinion.</p><p>The second part was shurikenjutsu and, while he wasn't the best at it, he still surprised everyone by managing to score a 9/10 in both the shuriken and kunai throwing, only being slightly off mark on one target.</p><p>Which brings us to the third part of the exam. He was watching a civilian -based off his attire and his sloppy technique- trying his best to stay within the ring as the teacher Mizuki hit him with various slow and light attacks.</p><p>"Time!" Called out Suzume. Mizuki stopped and smiled at the panting student who wiped his forehead in relief.</p><p>"Phew, you're way strong Mizuki-sensei!"</p><p>"Next is…" Suzume began as she peered at the roll call. "Uzumaki Naruto."</p><p>Many heads turned towards the youngest in the room as some of the students began to whisper to each other. They had all been surprised by his score during the second section and were curious to see how he would fair in Taijutsu.</p><p>Naruto took a deep breath as he focused his mind on the teacher and forced himself to ignore the rest of the class. His introverted nature will need to be curbed for now, he couldn't afford to lose his focus.</p><p>Stepping onto the ring, Mizuki smiled politely and nodded at the blond. "Good luck, Naruto-kun." He said amicably. Naruto nodded in thanks and got into his ready stance.</p><p>Suzume looked between both fighters and raised her hand. "Begin!"</p><p>Mizuki ran towards the blond and brought his arm back in preparation for a punch. The Uzumaki watched him approach with confusion clearly written across his face. The silver-haired Chūnin threw a punch which Naruto easily deflected with the back of his hand and countered with a palm strike to the chest to push him back.</p><p>Man, that guy was…weak. So much weaker than Kakashi, who he could barely follow with his eyes and who hit like an elephant. He was running at the pace of a snail to him, and his strike from earlier felt like it could have barely disturbed a fly. Not to mention how much he had telegraphed that punch. He almost felt insulted.</p><p>Mizuki grunted and skidded backwards, rubbing the spot on his chest as he looked at the student in surprise. That was new. Before he could ponder on that any further, the blond terror was already upon him, jumping high and delivering a strong kick. Mizuki brought up his arm to block it and found himself surprised once again as his arm became slightly numb from the force behind it. Using the Chūnin's arm as a springboard, Naruto shot up and nailed the underside of his chin with his foot, making his head lurch back.</p><p>Quickly righting himself, Mizuki sent a right hook at the blond which was caught into an open palm. Going down for a leg sweep, he tried to knock the smaller boy off his feet, but Naruto already had his legs planted down firmly. The foot connected against his ankle and only made it budge a little making the 8-year-old wince. Mizuki frowned and attempted grabbing his arm to put him into a headlock and throw him out of bounds only for the blond to slip under him and roll a few paces back near the edge of the ring.</p><p>The Chūnin instructor spun around and charged at the blond once more. Good, he was beginning to get angry and was thinking less about the match and more about landing a hit on him. As the Shinobi approached him, Naruto quickly dashed to the side, narrowly avoiding his angry swing. The taller man gasped and suddenly stopped in his tracks as he noticed he was already on the edge of the ring and flailed his arms around in an attempt to stop himself from falling forward. Unfortunately for the silver-haired, the prankster king was already behind him and delivered a kick to his behind, sending him flying out of the ring.</p><p>The whole class was silent as Suzume stared in astonishment. An 8-year-old had managed to knock a full grown Chūnin out of the ring…That was unheard of. The goal was to not get pushed out of the ring by Mizuki, not actually beat him.</p><p>Mizuki stood up in embarrassment and rubbed the back of his head. "Haha, you got me good Naruto-kun. That was a good ruse, great job!" His pride was hurt, but even he had to praise the skills that the young boy had displayed. Naruto shuffled awkwardly and bowed in respect.</p><p>"Thank you Mizuki-san." The blond stepped out of the ring and made his way back towards the crowd of students who were all staring at him in a mixture of surprise and apprehension.</p><p>"Woah kid, that was impressive." Said Yuna as she approached him. Naruto lowered his head in embarrassment as she elbowed him playfully. "Are you some kind of prodigy or somethin'?"</p><p>"Heh, of course not…" Replied the boy in a weak tone. Compliments still caught him off guard.</p><hr/><p>"Okay, Naruto." Said Uzume as she looked at the boy from behind her desk. "This is the fourth and final test; Ninjutsu. You've done well so far, now this is the home-stretch. First, start off by showing me the substitution jutsu."</p><p>Naruto nodded and brought up his right hand, shaping it into a half ram seal. With barely a whisper, Naruto was replaced by the chair that was tucked away under another table. Another switch and Naruto was back in his previous spot.</p><p>"Excellent. Splendid chakra control. Minimal smoke and fluid transition." She nodded her head and scribbled some stuff on her paper. "Next is transformation."</p><p>Another seal and Naruto transformed into an exact replica of Ayame Ichiraku. The teacher inspected the change with a critical eye and nodded in approval. "Very good. Now the clone jutsu."</p><p>Naruto remained still for a few moments as he pondered the request, making Suzume raise an eyebrow at the blond's sudden hesitation. "Is something wrong?"</p><p>"Uh…Any clone jutsu?"</p><p>"Oh, right." Confirmed the teacher. Academy students usually only knew the basic bunshin no jutsu, so they just never bothered to specify. Without the use of any hand seals, two clones of Naruto suddenly materialized into existence next to him.</p><p>Suzume looked impressed. "Very good Naruto-kun. Using the bunshin no jutsu without any hand seals and with no visible smoke is incredibly impressive, especially at your age!"</p><p>"Ah, actually," Interrupted the blond. "It's not the bunshin, but the kage bunshin." To prove his point, he turned towards one of the clones and poked it on the cheek.</p><p>"Hey, quit that!" Snapped the clone as he smacked the original's finger away. Naruto winced and nursed his sore finger.</p><p>"What was that for, idiot!?"</p><p>"What are you calling me an idiot for? I'm you, stupid!"</p><p>Suzume's gaped at the scene before her, glasses slippping down her nose from her slack-jawed expression.</p><hr/><p>The Jinchūriki stepped out of the academy, adjusting the blue forehead protector that was now tied around its namesake. The sky had already began to darken. The roll call to take the Ninjutsu exam had been done in alphabetical order, so he'd been among the last ones to exit the building.</p><p>"Dad dad, look! I finally graduated!" Proclaimed a loud voice. Naruto turned towards the sound and saw a kid from the classroom he was previously in, proudly showing off his shiny new headband to his father. The dad smiled at the boy and ruffled his head affectionately.</p><p>"Great job, son! Your mother and I are proud of you! We're having your favorite tonight as celebration!"</p><p>The boy cheered as both walked off, the father with an arm over the son's shoulder. Naruto watched both retreat with a small smile over his face. Interactions like these always filled him with conflicting emotions.</p><p>"Yo, fishcake." The blond turned towards a familiar tomboy-ish voice and watched Yuna approach him with her hands casually in her pockets. "So, you made it as well huh?"</p><p>"Looks like it." Confirmed the boy as he smiled up at the taller girl. "You did too. Congratulations."</p><p>"Oh, yeah." She walked past him as she approached a woman that was looking towards her direction. "See you during the team placements."</p><p>Naruto watched her talk to the beaming woman who had her hands clapped together, making Yuna look down in fake disinterest as red lightly dusted her cheeks in embarrassment. Frowning down at the ground, Naruto stuffed his hands in his pockets and began his way home.</p><p>He'd only made it a few meters before a fist bopped him lightly on his head. Flinching and reeling back in surprise, Naruto looked up and came face to face with the smiling visage of his teacher.</p><p>"Kakashi?" He said in surprise. Kakashi's eye-smile seemed to increase in size.</p><p>"Hey kiddo, nice work on your graduation!" Proclaimed the J<em>ō</em>nin jovially. "I never had a doubt in my mind."</p><p>Naruto flushed at the praise and rocked back and forth on his feet. "R-Really?"</p><p>"'Course!" The scarecrow retorted with such certainty that it made the boy's heart swell. Reaching down, Kakashi lowered the blond's headband with the palm of his hand to make it cover his eyes and chuckled at his squawk of indignation. "Now come on, everyone's waiting for you."</p><p>"Wait, what?" Naruto pushed the headband back onto his forehead and noticed that the masked man had already began to walk away. Running ahead to catch up to him, Naruto looked up at the man in confusion. "What do you mean by everyone?"</p><hr/><p>"Go on Naruto, drink up!" Encouraged Kakashi as he himself downed a cup of sake. Naruto looked at his own cup in uncertainty with nervous sweat rolling down his forehead.</p><p>"I don't know about this, sensei. Are you sure this is alright?" Kakashi had quickly taken him to a Shinobi only bar called Shushu-ya, where many Chūnins and J<em>ō</em>nins had gathered. The rowdy place was full of energy and brimming with excitement as a jolly atmosphere filled the area.</p><p>"Bah, you worry too much."</p><p>"Really Kakashi. You're a terrible role model." Sighed Kurenai in an aggravated tone.</p><p>"It's fine Kurenai, Uzumakis can't get drunk."</p><p>"That's <em>not </em>what the issue is here!"</p><p>Among those Shinobi were many of Kakashi's close friends. He recognized Gai, the man he'd pranked for his initiation test. He recognized the lady with the long purple hair, she was one of those people assigned with guarding his home and making sure he was safe. Two others were those guys he'd sometimes see guarding the gates of Konoha. The other unfamiliar faces didn't ring any bells to him, but he made sure to burn them into his mind. All had welcomed him with open arms and had gathered to congratulate him on his graduation. His heart fluttered once more in gratitude as he tried his best to keep the moisture in his eyes as unnoticeable as possible.</p><p>There was one man smoking a cigarette and with a scruffy beard. A lady with red eyes and a dress that looked like it was made of bandages. Another girl with pineapple shaped purple hair wearing barely any clothes beneath her trench coat. A man with a bandana chewing on a senbon, a man with bags under his eyes and a pale complexion, a guy with scars all over the left side of his face and spiky brown hair. That sure was a lot of people that were going out of their way to celebrate for him…</p><p>"Naruto-san!"</p><p>Turning around, Naruto was met with Gai Maito, who was grinning down at him with a 1000 megawatts smile. The Taijutsu specialist crossed his arms and looked down at the blond. "Even though my pride is still hurt from falling victim to your most un-youthful prank all those years ago, I still wish to congratulate you for a job well done! I look forward to working with you as fellow shinobis of the leaf!" Gai nodded in approval at his own words as Naruto smiled up at him in appreciation. "With that being said, I wish to give you this gift so you may continue to fan your flames of youth in your endeavors!"</p><p>"Hey! We said we'd wait till later for the gifts Gai!" Said Yugao irritably. Gai laughed boisterously and plopped down his suspiciously heavy present onto the table that made the cups and bottles rattle dangerously.</p><p>"Hahaha, forgive me my friend, but when I see such youthful young minds, it just brings a tear to my eye and I simply could not wait any longer!"</p><p>"T-Thank you Gai-san…" Said an overwhelmed Naruto as he unwrapped the gift with barely restrained anticipation. Ripping up the package, Naruto looked upon 4 training weights to go around his wrists and ankles. Gai grinned once more and gave him a thumbs up.</p><p>"This will help you during your red-hot blooded training my friend!" Naruto nodded in amazement and attempted to lift them up but found that they were a <em>lot </em>heavier than they looked. Kakashi sighed and picked them up with an ease that made Naruto gawk at him amazement.</p><p>"I'll hold onto those for now, Naruto." Said Kakashi as he sealed them away in his pouch. Naruto nodded and snickered to himself as Gai went into another tangent at Kakashi, who was doing his best to ignore him.</p><p>"It's my turn now." Said Yugao as she smiled. "Kakashi told me about your interest in Kenjutsu training, so I got you a better tanto. One that was forged in Kiri and is also chakra conductive." She moved some cups out of the way to make room on the table and placed a long item wrapped in cloth in front of the stunned Jinchūriki. Wow, that sounded like a <em>really</em> expensive gift.</p><p>Unwrapping it, Naruto was met with the sight of a tanto that, funnily enough did not look all that different than the one he had, except it was a slightly darker color and had a red spiral on the hilt that contrasted nicely on the near black background. Picking it up, Naruto noticed that it felt much lighter than his previous tanto and the blade itself was incredibly sharp, sharp enough to look like it would draw blood just by being near it.</p><p>"Thank you so much, Yugao-san!" Said Naruto in gratitude as he replaced the old tanto on his back for his new one. Rolling his shoulders a bit to test the feel, Naruto smiled at how light his back felt compared to before.</p><p>"Yeah, you're probably gonna need to learn how to actually use conductive metal first." Said Asuma as he fished around for something inside his pouch. "You're a wind user right? Well you're in luck, I'm one of the only wind-users in the village. I wrote down instructions on how to channel wind chakra inside your blade."</p><p>Naruto looked took the offered scroll and stared at it in disbelief. "How the hell did you guys even have time to get these? I graduated barely 10 minutes ago!"</p><p>Kakashi eye-smiled in his direction and waved his hand in dismissal. "Eh, we knew you'd do great."</p><p>"But what if I failed!?"</p><p>The J<em>ō</em>nin was silent for a few moments before slowly taking another sip of his sake. Conversation soon began anew across the bar once more as Naruto watched on with a twitching eyebrow at the lack of answer.</p><p>Kurenai stepped forward. "Naruto." Said the Genjutsu mistress drawing the blond's attention to her. "I know you like taking care of plants, so I got you this." She held up a small pouch which the jinchūriki accepted with curiosity. "These are seeds for Zinnia flowers. With enough care, they'll bloom into beautiful orange petals."</p><p>Naruto didn't know how she knew that he liked taking care of plants, but he didn't care. He was so thankful for these gifts he could barely find the words to express his gratitude. Kurenai gave him a knowing smile and moved back so that Kakashi could offer his last gift.</p><p>The masked man in question finished his saucer and gave a contented sigh. "Alright, guess it's my turn."</p><p>He reached inside of his vest and fished out an orange cloth-like material. Taking it in his hands, Naruto unfolded it to see that it was faded orange face-mask, much like the one that Kakashi wore all the time.</p><p>"Kakashi-sensei…This is-"</p><p>"You don't have to wear it all the time or anything." Said Kakashi awkwardly. Kakashi was many things, but good at gift giving was not one of them. "But it's handy to have for undercover missions. Those whisker marks will surely give you away all the time."</p><p>Naruto stared at the orange facemask in stunned silence as tears began to fall from his eyes. Smiling sheepishly, Kakashi reached down to ruffle his head and filled up his saucer once more. Naruto quickly wiped his eyes in embarrassment as he struggled to meet his eyes.</p><p>"The path ahead isn't going to be easy." Began Kakashi. "But bonds are what helps you remain sane and keep pushing forward. And while we're here, you'll always have us to fall back on."</p><p>Naruto shut his eyes tightly and nodded as more tears began to flow down his cheeks, making Kakashi smile warmly at him and pat him on the back. "Now, drink up!"</p><p>Naruto smiled and stared at his cup of sake. Even though he didn't know what would happen in the future, even though it was going to be full of hardships, he knew that he was going to be fine.</p><p>He brought the saucer to his lips and downed it in one go.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Genin Days</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"Team 1"</p><p>Miss Suzume's voice pierced through the silent veil that had settled around the unusually noiseless classroom. This place had never been so quiet with this many students in it before, always having at least a kid or two talking or whispering to each other. But today was a special day. For many aspiring shinobi, years and years of studies and training had led them to this point. This was the culmination of all of their efforts. Every single person within the room were giving their teacher their undivided attention.</p><p>"Ryou Kusata, Hachi Nanaimo, Miko Tanaka. Your sensei will be Genma Shiranui."</p><p>Our favorite Jinchūriki really wanted to have Kakashi as his teacher. Unfortunately, Kakashi was still needed right now and could not take in a fully-fledged team yet. While not as bad as several years ago, Konoha had not quite completely recovered from Kyuubi's attack. They still had a shortage of shinobi at their disposition making Kakashi have to work extra hard due to his high mission success rate.</p><p>Speaking of Kyuubi, Naruto had told him what he'd found out about the Shinigami and the mask, and how it was missing. Needless to say, Kyuubi was more than a little annoyed. The great beast had deduced that whoever had ripped out the pages of the book was the same person that had run off with the mask. That made his plans a bit harder than he'd first anticipated…</p><p>Another thing that had surprised him was the amount of information within the book. Such a powerful and dangerous Uzumaki clan secret should not be in a public library, even if it was restricted to Jōnins only. What was it even doing in Konoha anyway?</p><p>Now that he thought about it; when Uzu had been destroyed, anything that was salvageable had probably been brought back to Konoha since they were their only allied shinobi village. And he guessed that from there, it was kept somewhere safe. But now, with no mask, half of the pages missing from the book and a third of the pages being unreadable, it's not like anyone could really do anything with it.</p><p>But still…</p><p>"Team 4, Nakamura Keta, Shibuya Sari, Tanaka Jin. Your sensei will be Yamashiro Aoba."</p><p>Ah, dammit. He'd been so preoccupied with his train of thought that he spaced out and missed several of the formed team. His eyes met the ones of the student named Keta; a boy that had just been placed onto team 4. He recognized him. The memory was faint since it was so long ago and he was very young at the time, but this was definitely one of the kids that used to torment him back at the orphanage.</p><p>The apprehensive side-look that the older boy was giving him spoke more than words ever could. He recognized him as well and it made him nervous. He'd probably seen his fighting display from yesterday and worried that he'd seek revenge against his for his mistreatment.</p><p>A part of him enjoyed that feeling.</p><p>"Team 5, Soryu Yuna, Ito Sho, Uzumaki Naruto. Your teacher will be Wada Tomoda."</p><p>So that was his team…He glanced next to him at his would-be teammate, Yuna. She looked neither happy nor unhappy with her arm crossed and an eyebrow raised in mild curiosity.</p><p>Several minutes went by as Suzume finished reading off the new teams. Most of the students had moved to sit in groups with their new teammates, though Naruto and Yuna chose to remain in their seats since they were already on the same team.</p><p>"Are you two Naruto and Yuna?"</p><p>Both turned their heads towards another boy from their classroom. He was pretty tall for his age, standing at 5'7 when only being 13 years old. He had short spiky hair that was buzzed short on the sides, grey eyes and pretty muscular arms. His hair was some type of dark grey-charcoal color and his black eyes held this serious stoic look that he'd sometimes see in civilian soldiers. If Naruto had met him anywhere else but within the classroom, he would've thought him to be at least 15 or 16.</p><p>"What's it to you?" Snapped back Yuna with a mild frown. If the charcoal-haired boy was offended by her tone, then he did a good job hiding it.</p><p>"I'm your teammate, Sho Ito. Pleased to meet you." He said in a cordial voice.</p><p>Naruto offered him a small smile as he stood up to let Sho sit in between him and Yuna. "I'm Naruto. I hope we get along."</p><p>Sho nodded and sat down in the offered seat as Naruto took his place next to him. Yuna eyed the newcomer before looking back out the window in disinterest, and the trio soon descended into an uncomfortable silence for the next half an hour.</p><p>Well, that was a great start…</p><p>—</p><p>"Team 5" A man with light brown hair and very small yellow pupils called out, drawing the three student's attention. Giving them a small smile, Tomoda gestured towards outside of the academy gates. "I'm Wada Tomoda, pleased to meet you. Let's gather up at training ground 5 and introduce ourselves there.</p><p>The three looked amongst each other skeptically before standing up and following after the man.</p><p>It only took them a few minutes to arrive to training ground 5. This field was right next to training ground 4, which was where Naruto had been training for the last 6 months. He absently noted that this place looked a lot drier that the one before it. Contrary to number 4, the greenery of number 5 had been mostly uprooted, leaving dry earth and dead grass behind instead.</p><p>"Now then." Began Tomoda as he idly twirled a stick he'd found on the ground between his fingers. "Tell me about yourselves."</p><p>…</p><p>"By all means, don't all speak up at once." Said the teacher after a few seconds of silence.</p><p>"…What should we say, sensei?" Queried Naruto. His two teammates remained silent, though both looked as equally perplexed.</p><p>"You know, the general stuff. Names, likes, dislikes, dreams."</p><p>"Shouldn't you go first then?" Said Yuna in a deadpan tone. "We already know each other."</p><p>"Hmm…" The <em>Jōnin</em>instructor rubbed his chin in thought before sighing. "Fine, fine…"</p><p>The three youths looked at their teacher expectantly as he cleared his throat. "The name is Tomoda. I'm 24, I like practicing katon jutsus and playing poker. I dislike water users." At that he used his hand to cover the side of his mouth and continued in a playful hushed tone. "They never go with the <em>flow</em> of my fire attacks."</p><p>Crickets chirped as the three children stared at their teacher in varying degrees of bewilderment. Yuna seemed irritated, Sho's face remained unchanged. Naruto just looked confused.</p><p>Man, tough crowd. Tomoda awkwardly coughed into his fist but kept going. "Anyway, my pass times are hanging out with my friends and training. My dream for the future is to be able to settle down and have my own family." He finished with a smile. "Your turn, miss sunshine and rainbow." The teacher said as he pointed at Yuna.</p><p>Yuna crossed her arms but obliged nonetheless. "Name's Soryu Yuna. I'm 12, I like my aunt and napping. I don't like people who talk too much and can't take care of themselves. My pass times are reading and training. My dream is to one day be able to write my own book."</p><p>Tomoda nodded and turned his eyes towards Sho. "Your turn."</p><p>Sho nodded and straightened his posture. "My name is Ito Sho. My likes are strength and my training. I dislike weakness more than anything." Sho's eyes hardened with conviction. "Strength is absolute. All is meaningless without victory. To be defeated is to lose everything." That statement drew stares from his two teammates and a pensive look from his teacher. What an interesting guy.</p><p>"My goal is to become the strongest."</p><p>Their teacher offered him a small smile. "A fine goal, Sho." He said, making the boy nod in thanks. Diverting his attention to their last and youngest member, Tomoda shot him an encouraging grin. "Your turn now, blondie."</p><p>"Right," Said Naruto as he steeled his nerves. Being the centre of attention was making him nervous.</p><p>"My name is Naruto Uzumaki. I like playing pranks and ramen. Oh, and also the colour orange." He tapped a finger to his chin in thought. "There's not much I really dislike except for being alone and eating vegetables. If I had to pick though, I'd say being alone. My pass times are mainly just training and pulling pranks. As for my dream,"</p><p>He trailed off at that. What <em>was</em> his dream? He wanted to free Kyuubi and the tailed beasts. He wanted to help the other Jinchurikis. He wanted the constant violence and hatred to stop. He wanted peace, even though he knew just how unachievable that was. He wanted people to not be killed in the street just for being a foreign ninja. He wanted people to be able to live without fearing that any day could be their last.</p><p>"My dream is to unite the world."</p><p><em>That</em> drew surprised looks from everyone. 8-year-olds usually didn't have such ambitious goals; they usually were along the lines of 'I wanna be a cool ninja', or 'I wanna be Hokage'. But uniting the world is something that grown shinobi sought after having been on the battlefield and witnessing violence and prejudice on a daily basis.</p><p>Out of all people to follow up, it was surprisingly Yuna that was first to speak her mind.</p><p>"How would you even plan to do that?" She said with a frown. "Shinobi countries have been hating each other for centuries."</p><p>Unfortunately, the blond didn't have an answer for that yet.</p><p>"I don't know."</p><p>—</p><p>"Well, now that introductions are over," Said Tomoda after a few minutes had gone by, "It's about time we got started on your Genin test!"</p><p>"Test?" Said Yuna incredulously. "We already had one."</p><p>Sho nodded in agreement. "That's right. We were told that once we received those headbands, we would officially become shinobi."</p><p>Tomoda just gave them a small smirk that put Naruto on edge. "Ah, that's where you're mistaken. That test you took was the academy test to weed out the people that weren't even worthy of being considered. If you can't even do a bunch of D-rank jutsu, then what hope would you have against a real enemy?"</p><p>That did make a lot of sense now that the blond thought about it. That exam had been way too easy. "So that academy test was…"</p><p>"That's right, think of it as a preliminary test. This here's the real deal." The teacher was a bit too jovial about this for the genin's taste.</p><p>"So, what's the test?"</p><p>At that, Tomoda gave them a cheeky smile. Setting down a timer on the ground a few meters away, he used the branch that he'd been fiddling with to draw a circle around him that was roughly a metre in diameter.</p><p>"You need to make me step out of this circle. You can use any tools or techniques, or any underhanded method for that matter. You gotta come at me with the intent to kill. You have 30 minutes. Oh, and whoever doesn't manage to make me move will go back to the academy."</p><p>All was quiet in the clearing as the three children stared at their teacher incredulously.</p><p>"You can't be serious, sensei." Said Yuna in a miffed tone.</p><p>"I am dead serious." He brought his hand forward and made a 'come-at-me' motion.</p><p>—</p><p>Just what the hell were those Genin? Tomoda was by no means a weakling. In fact, if he had to evaluate himself, he'd say that he was about mid-Jōnin level. But these three kids…</p><p>Sho had this freakish earth ability where he used earth style to harden his skin, making it become noticeably darker. That was definitely the earth style: earth skin, also known as iron skin. And last he heard, that was a technique that was usually seen being used by a certain super-powered missing-nin from Takigakure. It wasn't too far-fetched to imagine that someone had seen that move and replicated it, but still, fresh Genin should not know these types of jutsu yet!</p><p>But that was okay, he was after all just a Genin. While his strength was nothing to scoff at, he could easily take it and retaliate. Him being so young made him inexperienced and uncoordinated with Yuna's Genjutsus that she would throw at him, which was easily shown when he flared his chakra to break her illusion and block a strong punch that was aimed at his face.</p><p>That blond kid though…What the hell was he? He was the youngest out of all of them, yet easily the most dangerous. He should be in the playgrounds with friends, playing tag and crying over a scraped knee. But here he was, being the most problematic out of the trio. He was throwing out these weird chains and those wind jutsu like it was nothing. And as if that wasn't enough, the little devil was quick!</p><p>A soft rustling made the Jōnin jump up in reflex, narrowly avoiding a golden chain that had shot out from beneath him and attempted to wrap around his leg. Taking out a kunai, Tomoda used the flat side to bat away a second chain on its way to spear through his shoulder.</p><p>'These are kinda dangerous.' Were the nervous thoughts of the brunet. Sho cracked his neck and rushed in close to Tomoda once more, bringing up two earth-coated arms to block his teacher's kick and skidding backwards a few feet.</p><p>'This isn't going anywhere.' Thought Yuna to herself in frustration. While Sho and Naruto were both surprisingly strong, they were up against a Jōnin. Everything that they threw at him was easily countered and returned. And with the additional threat of being sent back to the academy, they were all competing to be the one to stay.</p><p>'What the hell kind of rule is that anyway?' She complained as she threw another kunai at the teacher while he wasn't looking. Unfortunately, that too was caught and thrown back at her. It's like he was trying to pit them all against each other.</p><p>'What Genin team has only one member in it?'</p><p>Yuna suddenly skidded to a halt. Actually, she's <em>never </em>seen a one-man team before. Konoha was all about the 'will of fire' and having each other's back!</p><p>"That's it!" She said to herself, drawing the attention of the blond child next to her.</p><p>"What's wha-gah!" Yuna grabbed onto his wrist and began to run in the opposite direction, looking back at her second teammate.</p><p>"Sho, over here!"</p><p>Sho glanced behind and, after blocking yet another kick from his teacher, retreated to a safe distance before following after his two teammates.</p><p>Tomoda sighed slightly and dusted his arms free of the dirt that had gathered onto his sleeves. "Wonder where they're going…"</p><p>—</p><p>"Hey, what gives!?" Complained Naruto as he pulled his arm free from the brunette's hold.</p><p>Sho frowned and crossed his arms. "What did you want? If you haven't noticed, we're running out of time."</p><p>"Just listen." She snapped back. "When's the last time you've seen a Genin team with only one Genin? It's never happened before."</p><p>The earth user raised an eyebrow. "Your point being?"</p><p>"Konoha is all about teamwork, right? Why would he be the one to make the only one-man team?"</p><p>"Oh!" Said Naruto in realisation. "He's turning us against each other!" Yuna nodded at him, but Sho looked unconvinced.</p><p>"Why would he do that?"</p><p>Yuna shrugged. "Don't know. Making us see the bigger picture, probably. But right now, we need a plan."</p><p>—</p><p>"Man, this is boring…" Complained the sensei to himself as he kept fiddling with the stick in his hand. He'd been sitting here for the past ten minutes and time was beginning to run out.</p><p>'I'd give anything for this boredom to go away. Even an invasion wouldn't be so bad right about now.'</p><p>Glancing over to the clock, he saw that there was about 5 minutes left before time would run out. 'Did they give up? I wonder if I made the test too h-'</p><p>"Hey, ugly!"</p><p>Tomoda looked behind him and saw the youngest in his team pulling onto his eyelid mockingly with his tongue out. "Why do you like that stick so much, did your mom get it on with a dog!?"</p><p>"Why you!" A vein throbbed angrily on Tomoda's forehead.</p><p>"What's wrong dog-man, you got some ticks under your collar!?"</p><p>"You little brat!" Screamed the teacher. "Come over here and say that to my face!"</p><p>Tomoda suddenly felt a slight wave of dizziness as the shadows in the terrain began to merge together, causing him to immediately put his guard up. 'A genjutsu?' Making the ram seal, he flexed his chakra and broke the illusion, quickly dodging out of the way of two Naruto clones charging at him and easily dispelling them with his kunai.</p><p>"A diversion huh? I gotta admit, that was pretty well thought out. But it's not enough."</p><p>The teacher suddenly lurched back as Sho seemed to appear out of thin air and delivered a strong right hook to his face, making him stumble. Unfortunately, he quickly recovered and hopped over the following leg sweep, using a fireball jutsu to chase him away.</p><p>A double layered Genjutsu? Now Tomoda really WAS on guard. His eyes landed on the only female of the team who was holding her hands in a seal in concentration. Her chakra control must be exceptionally good to be able to pull that off.</p><p>His train of thought was cut short when the little terror that was the Jinchūriki engaged him once more, and Tomoda was back to dodging chains, wind attacks and a fast pair of fists.</p><p>Yuna's eyes met Sho's who nodded in return. The tallest of the students soon joined the fray, making the teacher have to focus his attention on the second person and step up his game even more.</p><p>The girl put her fingers in the horse hand seal, but before she could do anything further, the loud ringing of a clock drew the attention of everyone in the training ground.</p><p>"Phew, you guys are relentless." Complained Tomoda as he wiped his forehead with the back of his sleeve. "A bit longer and you would probably have gotten me. But you didn't manage to force me out of the boundaries." His eyes turned serious as he stepped out and picked up the clock. "You fail."</p><p>Instead of being met with dissatisfied looks like he was expecting, he was instead met with the cross-armed confident look of Sho and the satisfied smirk of Naruto, who rubbed his finger on the bridge of his nose. "Actually sensei, you're the one that failed."</p><p>Tomoda raised an eyebrow at that. "What are you talking about?" The clock sprang to life once more, making the teacher flinch back and look at the clock in surprise. What? What the hell was going on? The clock had already rung!</p><p>"Yuna came up with the plan, it was super smart!" Crowed Naruto in appraisal, making the girl huff and stuff her hands in her pockets. "While I was distracting and angering you, Yuna put you under a Genjutsu. That made you think that I was attacking you, when in fact it was Sho that was coming at you from behind."</p><p>Sho continued. "When your attention had been diverted to me and your full concentration was off Yuna and the clock, she placed you under a third Genjutsu that made you believe the timer had gone off."</p><p>The fire user looked down at the clock in his hands, then at the lines on the ground behind him. They'd tricked him! They hadn't forced him out of the boundaries, they made him willingly walk out!</p><p>'Those guys…Are something else.' He smiled in defeat and rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment. "Can't believe I got got… You played me like a fiddle."</p><p>Sighing, he continued. "This test wasn't just to see if you could make me come out of the boundaries, it was also to see if you had what it took to fight as a team." He said in a solemn voice. "But you guys know this already, don't you?"</p><p>That question was a moot point. They'd executed their plans perfectly. Yuna had rounded up the team, come up with the plan and provided long-distant support. Naruto was the diversion, and Sho had been the heavy hitter.</p><p>"You guys…Pass. Welcome to team 5!"</p><p>This was usually the time when the gathered Genin would whoop for joy and high-five, congratulate each other, celebrate, anything! However, the silent stoicism of Sho, the cool indifference of Yuna and the introverted nature of Naruto told him that this team still had a long way to go.</p><p>But if the small satisfied looked they were giving each other were any indication, then it wasn't a completely lost cause.</p><hr/><p>"You've gotta be kidding me."</p><p>Becoming a Shinobi had been a major step forward to achieving his goal; finding the mask and helping the Jinchūrikis. When he was training with Kakashi, he'd thought that becoming a ninja would finally let him get away from Konoha, explore the world, visit other nations, see what was beyond the massive forests that surrounded the leaf village.</p><p>He'd always been an optimistic. At least, he tried to be. It did get hard sometimes. The constant isolation and mistreatment had occasionally made him think very unhealthy and non-positive thoughts. But most of the time, he tried to see the silver lining in the situations that he gets himself in. Even if a mission would be boring, he'd still have explored the world a little more. Even if a training session had gone bad, he'd still had learned something from it.</p><p>"Sensei, you could at least <em>pretend</em> to help us!"</p><p>But even he could not see the silver lining in the atrocities called D-rank missions.</p><p>Unlike his two other teammates, Sho remained his typical quiet and stoic nature. But even he had a noticeable irritated edge in his eyes as he wrestled yet another pig out of the mud pit.</p><p>Tomoda laughed as he watched them from his spot on the dry land. "Hahaha, are you kidding? This is way funnier!"</p><p>After the test from yesterday, the three Genin had been filled with determination and had each celebrated in their own way. Naruto had gone home, -where Kakashi was already waiting for him- and he'd eagerly recounted what had happened during his test. Yuna had done the same to her aunt, though with less gusto than the blond had. Even Sho, did something special and treated himself to a celebratory meal.</p><p>Currently, the quartet were near the western border and helping a farmer round up the pigs that had escaped from his farm. Fortunately for the team, they hadn't gone far. <em>Unfortunately </em>for the team, they had taken residence in a big pit of mud and were squealing in delight as they rolled around and splashed into the murky waters.</p><p>"Grrrr, just stay still you pink abomination!" As much as he tried to wrap his little arms around the annoying creatures, they were just too covered in mud to get a good grip and kept slipping away when they thrashed about. "That's it, Shadow Clone Jutsu!"</p><p>Yuna stepped out of the mud pit, three pigs following obediently behind her as she led them to the tree where a few others were already tied up. Pretty soon, nearly all of the pigs had been rounded up.</p><p>'Hoh, so you can put even pigs under Genjutsu?' Thought Tomoda in interest.</p><p>A loud screech followed by the <em>thunk </em>of something hitting something else drew his attention back to the tree where most of the pigs had been tied up, only to see another pig that was covered in mud, passed out on the ground next to said tree.</p><p>"Sho!" Tomoda scolded. "Don't throw the pigs around!"</p><p>"Sorry." Said Sho plainly. He sounded anything but.</p><p>—</p><p>"Sensei, I really hate you right now." Complained the Uzumaki.</p><p>"C'mon Naruto, it wasn't that bad."</p><p>"I have to agree with him." Said Yuna plainly. "I need a shower."</p><p>"I think you all do." Agreed their teacher. "But don't worry, I'm sure you'll like the next mission."</p><p>—</p><p>"I HATE YOUUU!"</p><p>Naruto's scream could be heard for kilometers as he and his two teammates chased after the bane of every newly formed Genin team.</p><p>Tomoda couldn't help but laugh to himself once more. Hey, <em>someone</em> had to make sure that Madam Shimiji's cat didn't run away.</p><p>—</p><p>On their way back to the Hokage tower, the two teammates of our resident Jinchūriki had been noticing strange things. The villagers were behaving in a pretty weird manner around them, almost as if they were angry or afraid of them. They'd glare at them while staying a distance away and whisper among each other as if they were ugly creatures.</p><p>Or more specifically, they were acting that way towards the youngest of their group, which made no sense because despite his surprising strength, the blond boy just looked too cute and innocent. There was no way he could have done anything that warranted such treatment.</p><p>It didn't seem to bother the blond though, much to their confusion. It's like he wasn't even noticing it. That or he was just so used to it that he didn't notice it anymore. He just kept walking on forward with his hands thrown at the back of his head casually and his bored gaze staring up at the sky.</p><p>"Sensei,"Said Yuna quietly, drawing the attention of the Jōnin. "What's up with the people here? Why are they looking at Naruto like that?"</p><p>Tomoda looked back towards the villagers with a small frown.</p><p>"They are too lost in their own beliefs. Don't pay any attention to them."</p><p>The girl looked over towards her stoic teammate, who just shrugged back at her in equal confusion.</p><p>—</p><p>"So." The teacher began. "What do you guys specialize in?"</p><p>The trio of kids looked at each other, wondering who was going to go first. After a few seconds, Yuna hesitantly spoke up.</p><p>"Uh…I'm good at Genjutsu and Shurikenjutsu. And I've got pretty good chakra control."</p><p>Tomoda nodded along. "Yes, yes. And from what we've seen two days ago, you're also pretty good at thinking up strategies. And what about your weaknesses?"</p><p>Yuna raised an eyebrow. "Hand to hand I guess. My Ninjutsu is okay."</p><p>"Do you know your affinity?"</p><p>"What? No."</p><p>"Hmm…" The teacher rubbed his chin before digging his hand into his pouch. "Lucky for you, I carry chakra paper with me at all times."</p><p>That earned him weird looks from his students.</p><p>"Why…?" Questioned Naruto after a few seconds.</p><p>"Here we are!" A nervous sweat drop appeared on the blond's head when the teacher ignored him and brandished the paper instead. "Channel some chakra through this."</p><p>Yuna took the piece of paper and did as instructed. After a few moments, smoke began to take form on the corner of the paper before it suddenly ignited in a small burst of flame, making the girl yelp and drop it.</p><p>"A fire user, that's good. That means I can have lots to teach you in that department." He turned to Naruto. "Now, your turn. Strengths and weaknesses."</p><p>"Ah uh," The Uzumaki fumbled slightly at the sudden shift of attention. "I have a lot of chakra and stamina, I'm pretty fast and I'm alright at Ninjutsu and Taijutsu. I also get by in Kenjutsu and wind manipulation."</p><p>Tomoda nodded, hiding his surprise. That was quite the skill set for an 8-year-old. "Weaknesses?"</p><p>Naruto shrugged. "fire users? And basically anyone that's older and stronger than me."</p><p>Tomoda was about to move on to Sho when he realized that the blond looked like he wanted to say more. "What is it?"</p><p>Naruto hesitated for a few seconds. "Well…I have this other skill as well."</p><p>"Which is?"</p><p>Naruto didn't reply, but a golden chain slowly coiled out of the ground from the middle of their circle. It seemed to look around, almost like a snake before awkwardly waving at them.</p><p>—</p><p>Once the shock had dissipated and many questions had followed, Tomoda looked over to Sho. "Your turn."</p><p>Sho nodded and sat straighter. "I specialize in earth style and Iron skin which grants me physical power and defense. Weaknesses are Lightning types and Genjutsu, as well as people that are faster than me."</p><p>Quite the versatile team. Nodding in approval, Tomoda crossed his arms as he began to recapitulate. "To summarize, we've got a wind user, a fire user and an earth user. Sho majors in Taijutsu, Yuna in Genjutsu and Shurikenjutsu, Naruto in Ninjutsu, Kenjutsu and those chain thingies. I want all of you to pay special attention to your weaknesses. Having some are fine, everyone has them. But it becomes a liability when you neglect them and allow them to fester. Sho, Naruto, you too will be sparring together. Naruto, I want you to make full use of your speed. Same goes for you with your strength, Sho." He turned his attention to his third teammate. "Yuna, I will be teaching you how to hone your fire manipulation. These guys already know the basics for their elements, so I need to bring you up to par."</p><p>His students nodded at the rundown of their training. Standing up, Tomoda continued. "This will be Mondays and Tuesdays. Wednesdays will be Chakra control and elemental nature refining as well as building up tolerance against the elements that you are weak against. As for you Naruto, you and I will be practicing your Kenjutsu. Thursdays will be focusing on you two, Sho and Yuna, on increasing your Chakra capacity and Stamina. We will be doing laps around the training grounds as well as doing physical work-outs."</p><p>Naruto raised a hand in question. "Yes, Naruto." Acknowledged Tomoda.</p><p>"I received a set of weights a few days ago. Should I bring them with me for practicing?"</p><p>The brunet shook his head. "While training weights are a good way of increasing your speed, using them at your age will be detrimental to your growing body and to your muscles. Especially for you."</p><p>The blond looked disappointed, but nodded nonetheless. Oh well, Gai's weights will have to wait for a little bit. But still, the prospect of training his elemental manipulation was filling him with excitement! Ever since he'd heard Kyuubi talk about Ninshu, he'd been extremely interested in the art. He couldn't help but feel that hand seals and jutsu were too restrictive. There was so much that you could do with wind! He wanted to be able to command it, bend it to his whim! Have it completely under his control so that all he needed to call upon it was a mere thought!</p><p>"Fridays will be an all-out brawl between the three of you. We will be doing our training every afternoon. Mornings will be for the missions that we will be undertaking."</p><p>Yuna looked at her teacher warily. "Please tell me we won't have to do D-ranks again."</p><p>Tomoda turned silent, unnerving the three Genin. He began chuckling to himself, which slowly devolved into full blown laughter.</p><p>His laughter subsided after a few seconds as he brought a hand to his face and wiped a tear with his fingers, still chuckling occasionally. "Oh, my dear students…"</p><p>"This is just the beginning of them."</p><p>Their resulting faces nearly gave him another laughing fit.</p><p>—</p><p>It didn't make sense…It just didn't make any sense!</p><p>"Raagh!" Sho let out a war-cry and threw another punch at the smaller blond, who caught it in his hands and skidded a few paces backwards with a wide grin on his face.</p><p>He prided himself in his strength. Everyday, he refined his skill, practiced his punches and kicks, lifted his weights, trained his techniques.</p><p>The blond threw a punch in return, making him lift his forearm to block it only to wince at the power that struck it. He disappeared from his line of sight and a sharp blow impacted against the left side of his back. Grunting and stumbling forward, Sho quickly righted himself and spun around to face the little menace once more, rubbing the sore spot on his back.</p><p>When he'd fought Tomoda during the test, his teacher had overpowered him even with the use of his iron skin. But that wasn't a big deal. The man was Jōnin, he was twice his age and was selected to train him and his teammates. That, he could understand.</p><p>Sho rushed at Naruto, and the blond did the same, they both met in the middle and locked fingers with both hands in a battle of mercy. The taller boy roared as his skin turned darker, his arms becoming heavier and stronger.</p><p>Then how? How the hell was this 8-year-old keeping up with his power? Even with the use of his Iron skin, even though Naruto was clearly struggling, with sweat dripping down his face and his feet sliding back under the brunt of his strength, he should have easily made him topple over by now!</p><p>For his part, Naruto was having the time of his life. This was the first time that he'd truly enjoyed a fight. He loved training with Kakashi, but getting his ass tossed around for several hours wasn't exactly his idea of fun. But the constant butt-kicking had made him be able to adapt to people above his rank, and for that, he was grateful.</p><p>Before Mizuki, he'd never actually 'won' a match before. He knew that the he'd been holding back during his test, but then again, so was he. He was confident that he would have been able to beat him if both had been going all out.</p><p>But this…This was different. Kakashi hit hard and precise, he did not waste time. He went in for the kill from the get go to teach him to not let himself be wide open, to keep his head in the game. With Sho however, he could really go all out to test his strength. He could beat Sho, he had no doubt about that. He was strong, but he was unrefined. Sho only had his strength. Naruto had a wide arsenal. He was fast, he had his chains, his wind manipulation, his sword. Even the strength advantage that Sho would usually have was practically useless now. Naruto was used to fighting experienced Jōnins.</p><p>In the end though, the iron skin proved too much even for him, the taller boy was managing to push his fingers back in their test of strength. Suddenly pulling his arms forward, he yanked Sho towards him and drove his foot into his stomach, making him choke up spit and kneel down on the ground and struggle to catch his breath.</p><p>The blond jumped high in the air and made a clone appear next to him at the apex of his jump. The doppelganger grabbed his creator by the wrist and spun him around several times, before throwing him with all his might at the earth user who was just managing to pick himself back up. Naruto stuck both of his feet out and double-dive kicked towards Sho, which the 13-year-old hastily countered by coating his skin with a layer of earth chakra.</p><p>"Whoa…" Yuna said, watching the 'spar' between her two teammates with nervous sweat trailing down her forehead. Sho had never shown anything like this iron skin in the academy. And then there was the blond wonder. Only 8 and still keeping up with people twice his size and age.</p><p>"Focus, Yuna." Chided Tomoda as he handed her another leaf. "Try again. Feel your fire nature coursing through your coils and channel it into this leaf.</p><p>"Ugh…"</p><hr/><p>Dull blond eyes stared sadly at the ground. Why did this keep happening? His feet dragged against the floor as he lamented his predicament. Day in and day out, it was the same old torture.</p><p>"Cheer up, Naruto. It's not so bad."</p><p>"Sensei, isn't it time we get a higher ranked mission?" Questioned Sho moodily.</p><p>Tomoda opened up the mission report, blissfully ignoring his students. "We are visiting an old fishing shack that is being run by a Tokita Mamoru, along with his son and grandson. Report says that the storm from last night toppled a tree over their cabin. Thankfully no one was injured, but the place in in disrepair."</p><p>Naruto seemed to snap out of his funk and glanced up at the teacher. "So what are we doing? Just fixing up the place?"</p><p>"That's right. And with your clones, this should be done in no time."</p><p>It was only 15 minutes later that they'd arrive and were introduced to the owners. The grandkid, Taro, was a pretty happy and energetic boy with messy dark-greenish hair. The father named Sakana was a tall man with a shaved head and a small rope tied around his forehead as most fishermen usually did.</p><p>The grandfather though; mister Mamoru, was a pretty weird guy. The man was balding with a goatee and had several ugly scars running across his face. He didn't seem like a bad person. But his eyes, they seemed empty. When you talked to him, he didn't look at you, he didn't answer, he didn't seem to even notice you were there. He just kept mumbling, always slowly mumbling something under his breath.</p><p>"Grandpa's been through all 3 wars." Naruto turned towards Taro when he noticed him staring, Yuna and Sho also paying attention to the conversation. "Dad says he's been like this for a while ever since the third war was over. He's aware enough to take care of himself, but he's not that good at having conversations." The young fisherman sighed and shook his head. "Dad lets him stay though. This shop used to belong to him and my grandma when she was still alive and was passed on to us. He's hanging in there, at least there's that."</p><p>The members of team 5 got to work without another word, all except for Naruto. He was still curiously looking at the old man who was sitting in his chair, staring at nothing in particular and fumbling with his own hands.</p><p>This guy had lived through three wars…He'd been to hell and back. He probably had a lot of amazing stories to tell.</p><p>Too bad that no one would be able to hear them.</p><p>"We're gonna fix your house right up mister Tokita, don't you worry."</p><p>The old man said nothing and kept staring at his hands with the same vacant stare.</p><p>"My eyes were…Fluid cobras…Yeah…"</p><p>He wondered what he meant by that.</p><p>"Naruto, get moving!" Turning his head towards where Yuna's voice had come from, he sighed and manifested five clones around him.</p><p>"Alright guys, let's do this."</p><hr/><p>"Thank you so much for all your help." Sakana smiled at the members of team 5 while accompanying them to the exit. "I don't know what we would have done without all of you. And you, young lad. That clone technique of yours is quite the sight to behold. It was my understanding that it used quite a lot of energy, but you look none the worse for wear."</p><p>Naruto smiled sheepishly and rubbed the back of his head. "I'm a special case."</p><p>"Sakana-san" Called out Tomoda, getting the fisherman's attention and gesturing towards the report in his hand. "If you would sign here please, this will conclude our mission."</p><p>As his teacher was being busy wrapping up the mission, the Jinchūriki looked back towards the chair that mister Tokita had been occupying the entire time. It was kinda unnerving the way he had barely twitched a muscle within the past several hours.</p><p>"You alright?"</p><p>The blond blinked and glanced at his female teammate who was staring at him with a curious expression.</p><p>"I wonder what he's thinking about."</p><p>Yuna tilted her head slightly at that. "I've met someone like this before. Post-Traumatic Stress can affect people in varying ways. Some break down, some become like this."</p><p>That statement made Naruto frown and stare at the ground.</p><p>"He must be in a lot of pain."</p><p>The girl with the ponytail stared at him for a few more moments before turning back towards the rest of her team. "Come on, we're leaving."</p><p>His gaze lingered on the old man for a little while longer, but soon turned around as well and followed after her.</p><p>—</p><p>"Phew, it's finally over."</p><p>Tomoda sighed as he and his students stepped out of the fishing shed. They'd been at this for nearly 6 hours, he really needed a stiff drink from Shushuya's right now.</p><p>Sho grunted and stuffed his hands in his pockets. "I'm just glad we had Naruto's clones."</p><p>"Yeah, who knows how long this would have taken otherwise." Yuna agreed with a small smile.</p><p>The Jōnin grinned as he listened to his students interact with one another. They'd each been pretty cold and distant at the beginning, what with Sho and Yuna not being very expressive of their emotions and Naruto being naturally introverted, but they had come a long way after two months of training and doing missions together. They could all hold an actual conversation together now, and could rely on each other pretty well. Their coordination in general still had much to be desired, but it was a drastic improvement to two months ago.</p><p>"Sensei? Sensei!"</p><p>"Huh?" He looked over towards the kids to see them all staring at him. He must have spaced out again, he really needed to stop doing that.</p><p>Yuna crossed her arms. "I was asking you what we were doing now. Are we meeting up at the training ground?"</p><p>Tomoda shook his head. "No, I can go report by myself. No training today so you three can head on home and enjoy your afternoons."</p><p>"If that's the case, I'll see you guys later!" Yuna said and hurried off in a random direction. Sho nodded to the two and he too went his own way.</p><p>Naruto stared at where his two teammates had previously been standing in not two seconds ago with bemusement. "What was that all about?" Hearing no response, he turned back around to face his teacher. "Sensei?"</p><p>When he looked over, he too was gone, making him the only one left there.</p><p>"what?"</p><hr/><p>This was a strange evening, Naruto had decided. The day had gone by as it usually did for the past 2 months. He'd woken up, did some stretching, had his breakfast and met up with his team near the Hokage tower. After that they had all gone to the mission lobby to get their usual D-rank and went ahead and completed it.</p><p>But the afternoon was when it took a strange turn. There was no training for once, which was strange. Tomoda-sensei was a stickler for consistency. He'd never given them days off before except for the weekends.</p><p>As if that wasn't enough, they'd all hurried off in their own direction, almost as if they were late for something. It didn't take him long to shake off the confusion though, he'd long gotten accustomed to his team's oddities. But the night just kept on getting weirder. He went to look for Kakashi at his usual spots; at his house, at the memorial stone, at Shushuya's, and even at Kinta's book shop! He was nowhere to be seen! Kakashi usually came to tell him whenever he'd leave the village to take on missions.</p><p>Even weirder, once he gave up on finding the elusive ninja, he'd tried going to Ichiraku's to treat himself to some ramen, but they were closed! He'd literally never seen that place closed before.</p><p>Having ran out of people to spend time with, Naruto dejectedly made his way home.</p><p>—</p><p>
  <em>Rustle rustle.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Click.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Creeeaaak.</em>
</p><p>'What a disappointing day.' Naruto couldn't help but think to himself as he unlocked the door to his house and pushed it open, making sure to close it properly behind him. He knew it was selfish to think that,the people he knew had lives of their own and he couldn't always be relying on them to stave off his boredom and loneliness. But still…</p><p>Where was everyone?</p><p>Within the darkness, his hand travelled towards the switch to his apartment reflexively and flicked the light on.</p><p>"SURPRISE!"</p><p>The poor blond nearly jumped out of his skin at the sight that greeted him. Festive decorations were hanging on his walls with balloons and confetti everywhere. A group had gathered within his small apartment as well. Geez, he'd been so lost in his thoughts that he hadn't even sensed anyone here. Old man Teuchi and Ayame were wearing big grins on their faces, their cooking attire gone for once. His team was there too; Yuna and Sho were surprisingly wearing party hats. It was quite the funny sight to see his stoic, stone-faced teammates wearing those silly things. Tomoda was a lot more cheerful, loudly blowing on one of those party horns. Kakashi was also there, wearing his usual uniform. Though he too was wearing a party hat, and so were several of his Jōnin friends that he'd taken along. He recognized them! Kurenai, Gai, Yugao and Asuma.</p><p>What on earth was going on?</p><p>"Wh-wha…?" Naruto couldn't help but stutter in surprise. Kakashi's eye curved up at his former student's befuddled expression and stepped forward to ruffle his hair.</p><p>"Happy birthday Naruto."</p><p>The boy's eyes darted to his calendar that was hanging off the kitchen. What was today? Yep, sure enough, today was October 10th. How could he have forgotten what today was?</p><p>His eyes began to moisten again as the familiar yet unfamiliar feeling swelled up in his chest. There was even a cake and a few small presents strewn around on the table. That was so thoughtful of them.</p><p>"You guys…" He honestly didn't know what to say. Anything coming out of his mouth wouldn't feel genuine enough in his opinion. He couldn't even begin to formulate how grateful he felt. Thankfully, he didn't have to say anything. Kakashi had always been able to read him like an open book.</p><p>"Hokage-sama will stop by soon. He got a bit caught up at work but he'll make an appearance." Naruto smiled and nodded. Even if things were a bit rough between him and the old-man Hokage, he appreciated the fact that he'd be here regardless.</p><p>"Thank you, everyone…" He said shakily. And the smiles he received in return filled his heart with joy.</p><p>—</p><p>The party had been going on for 2 hours now. The adults were drinking and having a good time, and he and his two teammates had been happily talking amongst each other. The Hokage had showed up for a few minutes, wished him a happy birthday and left a present as well. Unfortunately, he had to leave again soon after.</p><p>Strangely enough though, Kakashi had suddenly pulled him aside from all the action with the strangest look in his eyes. He'd never seen him look so hesitant before.</p><p>"I promised you that I wouldn't keep anymore lies from you." Kakashi said suddenly, making Naruto nod hesitantly.</p><p>"There's…One more thing."</p><p>He seemed pretty anxious about this. He'd learned that he contained a giant beast that destroyed his hometown and killed the fourth Hokage inside of his stomach, and that same Hokage was his own father and had been sealed inside of the belly of the death god. What could possibly warrant such uncertainty from the Jōnin?</p><p>"Have you ever heard of Jiraiya of the Sannin?"</p><p>The boy nodded. Of course he'd heard of him. He along with the two others, Tsunade and Orochmaru were pretty much legends in the history books. As far as he knew, all three were still alive.</p><p>"He trained the Yondaime." He said, making the blond's eyes widen. "And…"</p><p>"He is your Godfather."</p><p>—</p><p>Naruto didn't know how to feel right now. It was like someone had ripped the ground from beneath his feet and his whole life had been turned upside down.</p><p>Jiraiya was his Godfather. What did this mean?</p><p>Jiraiya knew his dad. He had trained him and groomed him to be Hokage. That meant that the two were close, right?</p><p>He was a Sannin. And being a Sannin in pretty much <em>the </em>biggest military village probably meant an abundance of wealth, <em>right?</em></p><p>So, either he was dead and no one knew about it, or…</p><p>He didn't give two fucks about him.</p><p>"Kakashi-sensei…" Muttered Naruto in a weak tone. "What should I do? What am I supposed to feel?" He was feeling so lost right now, so betrayed and a million questions were running rampant inside his head.</p><p>Kakashi stayed quiet as well, not really knowing what to say. He'd met Jiraiya before, he honestly wasn't a bad character, and he wrote some nice books. But he just couldn't agree with the 'I'm too busy' excuse.</p><p>In the end though, he decided to smile and place a comforting hand on the shorter boy's shoulder. "What I think isn't important. This is something you need to figure out on your own." He withdrew his hand and looked at the couch where Yuna and Sho were idly chatting. "But today is a day of celebration. For now, focus on what is good rather than what is bad."</p><p>He looked over to what had caught his teacher's attention, and his eyes fell upon his two teammates. They had all come a long way since two months ago. Sho never smiled and was still as stoic as ever, but only they could see that his eyes lacked the edge they held when they'd first met, or the fact that his demeanor was a lot less guarded.</p><p>Yuna noticed his eyes from across the room and gave him a small smile in return. Naruto smiled back and an invisible weight seemed to have lifted from his shoulders.</p><p>Yeah…Tonight, he wouldn't worry about that.</p><hr/><p>A sharp blade cut through the air and knocked away a kunai's trajectory, saving the young boy from a fatal wound. Sheathing the tanto and jumping up in the air to avoid Sho's double handed sledgehammer strike, the young Uzumaki flipped to right himself and willed two chains to burst out of the ground and tightly wrap around the older boy. Naruto deftly landed on the shoulders of the incapacitated earth user, as blue eyes shot back towards his other teammate, who was keeping her distance and watching him warily.</p><p>It hadn't taken long to determine who was the strongest of the three. In fact, it had taken about two minutes into their first 3-way brawl. As much as Sho loathed to admit it, the blond outshined him in every department save for brute strength when he had his iron skin activated. But even then, Naruto's broad repertoire made it easy for him to make up for that fact.</p><p>While Naruto wasn't as good as Yuna when it came to plan-making and strategizing, he was extremely clever and could come up with the most unpredictable scenarios on the spot. Last week, he'd managed to create a clone and have it transform into a pebble once they were both distracted and took them by surprise when they least expected it. Her superior intellect was countered with his cunning mind. Her skills at Shurikenjutsu was countered by his incredible control over his chains and his quick reflexes. Her Genjutsu was, for some reason, not having any effect on him. It was like there was something that was protecting him or making him immune.</p><p>So, the two oldest members of team 5 had decided to team up together in an effort to be able to beat him. It took a while for Sho to agree to the idea, thinking it was dishonorable to do so, but after a number of losses, he eventually complied.</p><p>The 9-year-old shunshin'd forward and threw a forward kick, which was blocked by the girl but still sent her skidding back a few meters. Rushing in close, Naruto sent two more punches who were narrowly dodged and countered by a low kick of her own. The blond jumped over it and spun horizontally, sending a punch to her gut, making her grunt in pain and keel over slightly.</p><p>Sho finally freed himself from the chains and jumped the distance, attempting to deliver a powerful double-kick at the smaller blond. Unfortunately, he was too fast and agile and managed to hop away at the last second. Sho landed heavily on the ground, kicking up a lot of dust and making visibility become poor.</p><p>Yuna coughed and leaned back up, a hand placed on her stomach. She sent an irritated look towards her oldest teammate and frowned. "Dammit Sho, now we won't be able to see him."</p><p>Sho didn't reply, instead put his hands in the snake release. <em>Earth style: bottomless swamp.</em> The earthy ground around them soon turned into thick mud, forcing the young blond out of his hiding spot and up on a tree branch.</p><p>Yuna sent a dozen shuriken at him, making him dodge to the side and pull out his tanto to deflect them. While he was being distracted, her hands flew through hand-seals. She breathed out a medium sized fireball that soared through the air, heading right at Naruto. The blond was about to go through hand-seals to counter when Sho landed next to him on the branch and delivered a right hook at his face, nailing him on the cheek and sending him headfirst into the fireball.</p><p>The flaming ball impacted against him and both Genin covered their eyes at the brilliant show of light. Once the fire had subsided, they looked at the results to find…Nothing? There wasn't anyone there anymore!</p><p>"Hehehe," A mischievous cackle made them look towards the other side of the clearing. Their youngest teammate was standing there, completely unharmed and rubbing his index finger under his nose smugly. "You guys are gonna have to try harder than that to get me!" The cheeky Genin said.</p><p>Yuna grit her teeth together and clenched her hands in anger. "I'll show you, you cheeky-" But before she could say further, the loud ringing of a clock signalled the end of their sparring match.</p><p>"And time!" Tomoda called out as he walked towards his three students. "Good job everyone, you did great. Sho, good use of the mud technique. Yuna, I saw that distraction you did with the shuriken. That was pretty smart. However, you should always assume that the enemy is still standing until you've confirmed that they're actually down for the count. Naruto, you did good, but next time use the confusion of your disappearance to your advantage instead of remaining hidden. Calling out to them was a big mistake. If the timer hadn't rung when it did, that would have been a huge missed opportunity. Every seconds and every little mistakes can be the difference between life and death on the battlefield."</p><p>Yuna tiredly fell into a sitting position to rest her sore legs. Out of the three, she was the least physically fit and the worst one when it came to endurance and hand to hand. Sho picked up a water bottle and took some long sips from it as he leaned his body against a tree.</p><p>"The day is still young." Remarked Tomoda as he looked up at the sky. "I think we have time for a quick D-rank." All three Genin groaned in response causing him to chuckle. "Don't give up guys, we're almost done with the required missions before we're able to move on to C-ranks."</p><p>Naruto scoffed and grumbled under his breath. "Wouldn't be so bad if you weren't a lazy bum…"</p><p>"What was that!?"</p><p>"Nothing!"</p><p>—</p><p>"Team 5 reporting for duty."</p><p>The fire leader looked up from his paperwork and smiled at the team. "Ah, Tomoda-san. Here for your daily D-rank I take it?"</p><p>"That's right Hokage-sama."</p><p>Hiruzen sifted through some paperwork. "Today we have a few interesting ones. The Inuzuka kennels need to be cleaned again. The various amount of honeys and secretions produced by the Aburame insects need to be collected, the garden around the Yamanaka compound needs to be trimmed, th-</p><p>
  <strong>
    <em>BANG!</em>
  </strong>
</p><p>"Hokage-sama!"</p><p>"Taro-san! You can't just barge in like this!"</p><p>All heads turned to the door as Tokita Taro, the grandson of Tokita Mamoru, barged in with the Hokage's secretary Kimi following close behind. Naruto recognized the boy; he was the one they'd fixed the fishing shack for a few weeks ago.</p><p>Hiruzen waved his secretary off. "It's quite alright Kimi, you may return to your desk." The Hokage turned his eyes towards the panting child with an eyebrow raised questioningly. "Taro-kun, is something the matter?"</p><p>"Hokage-sama," Repeated Taro once he'd caught his breath. "It's my grandpa, Mamoru! He's gone missing!"</p><p>This drew surprised looks from everyone within the room, Naruto in particular. "That old guy is…?"</p><p>Hiruzen steepled his fingers together, a deep frown upon his features. "Hmm. That is troubling news, Taro-kun. Do you have any idea where he might have gone?"</p><p>Taro shook his head quickly as his face took on a pleading look. "No I don't Hokage-sama. Please, you need to find him!"</p><p>"Calm yourself, do not worry. We will find Mamoru-san." The Sandaime turned back towards the Genin team. "Team 5, are you up for the task?"</p><p>Tomoda saluted, along with his three Genin behind him. "We accept, Hokage-sama!"</p><p>Taro sniffled and wiped his eyes, looking at the people in front of him gratefully. "T-Thank you. Please find my jiji!"</p><p>Naruto's features became serious, and a look of complete conviction could be clearly seen on his face. "We will find him, I promise. You can count on us."</p><p>Or so he thought.</p><p>—</p><p>The village of Konoha was very, <em>very</em> big. Naruto had made twenty shadow clones, and even with 21 of him along with his two teammates and sensei, they still haven't found him after 3 hours.</p><p><em>"Nothing over here." </em>Reported Sho through his ear piece.</p><p>
  <em>"Acknowledged. Continue further. Yuna, any visual evidence?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"None sensei. No one has seen him."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Naruto, anything to report?"</em>
</p><p>Naruto cursed under his breath and pressed the switch on his ear piece. <em>"My clones haven't found a damn thing yet."</em></p><p>Tomoda frowned and looked around from his vantage point. No sign of Tokita Mamoru. This wasn't looking good.</p><p>He was startled when a grey figure wearing a mouse mask suddenly dropped down next to him. "Jōnin Wada Tomoda?"</p><p>"Er, yes?" He replied in surprise.</p><p>"Report from the Hokage. Civilian Tokita Taro has informed us that former special Jōnin Tokita Mamoru had a residence East of the memorial statue."</p><p>"Does Hokage-sama think that he'll be there?"</p><p>The ANBU with the mouse mask nodded. "It's a possibility, one that is worthy of investigation."</p><p>Tomoda quickly thanked the ANBU and relayed the information to his team.</p><p><em>"I'm near that place." </em>Said Naruto quickly.<em> "I can get there in 2 minutes."</em></p><p>
  <em>"Good. Naruto, go there and investigate. We will converge and join you there."</em>
</p><p><em>"Right."</em> Replied the three voices at the same time. Naruto pumped chakra through his legs and body as he body flickered as fast as he could to the destination. There was the memorial stone that Kakashi-sensei spent so much time in. He continued past it and turned to the right, following the beaten path and soon came upon a small little run-down house.</p><p>
  <em>"This is Naruto. I have arrived at the location. Going in to investigate."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Good work. We're not far behind."</em>
</p><p>Naruto walked up to the door, an odd feeling of trepidation growing in the pit of his stomach. What was happening? Something was telling him he wouldn't like whatever he would find behind that door. Raising his hand, he knocked on the door several times and gulped nervously. "Mister Tokita? Are you in there?"</p><p>No answer. Naruto knocked again. "I'm coming in!" He said. Still no answer. He grabbed the doorknob and turned it, slowly opening it.</p><p>A stack of ropes to the side caught his attention, all with their ends cut off and sporting failed fishing knots. He shakily brought a hand to his ear piece as he made his way through the corridor. <em>"S-Something's wrong. I'm getting a bad feeling."</em></p><p>
  <em>"Naruto, what's the situation?"</em>
</p><p>The blond didn't seem to hear him as he neared the end of the corridor and pushed the door open, who creaked in protest from old age. The Uzumaki stepped in, and felt his blood run cold.</p><p>Mister Tokita was there. And a rope attached to a wooden beam on the ceiling was tied around his neck, making his body hang loosely and gently rock to and fro.</p><p>The poor blond took a shaky step back as he fought back the urge to vomit. The door behind him burst open, his frantic teacher appearing and placing a hand on his shoulder.</p><p>"Naruto! What's going…"</p><p>Tomoda trailed off as he noticed the scene being displayed in front of him, a strangled gasp escaping his lips. His two other students soon followed after him, though both skidded to a halt as they too saw what was going on.</p><p>"Oh god…" Yuna said as she covered her mouth in horror. Even Sho seemed greatly disturbed by this, his skin taking an unnatural pale color. Tomoda took a step forward as he placed his hands on the body and lifted it slightly to ease off the strain around the man's neck.</p><p>"Quick, somebody help me get him down." He said quickly. Sho rushed forward, a kunai in hand and used it to cut the rope off. Mamoru collapsed onto Tomoda's shoulder, who proceeded to lie him down gently onto the floor and pressed an ear to his chest.</p><p>Naruto watched all of this happening. He watched the angry red marks around his neck that the rope had left. He watched the drool that had gathered in the corners of his mouth during his final moments. He watched his empty eyes, glazed over and still opened in pain.</p><p>Tomoda pulled away in remorse when he heard no sound coming from his chest. Mamoru's skin was cold, this had been done a while ago.</p><p>He was gone.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. Stranger Danger</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"You promised!"</p><p>Blue eyes remained dejectedly fixed onto the ground below, unable to meet the angry brown ones of the younger boy in front of him. Besides him, his two teammates shifted uneasily, a small frown on their faces.</p><p>"I'm sorry."</p><p>Taro clenched his fists, tears welling up in his eyes once more. "You said I could count on you! It's all your fault!" He shouted at the blond making him flinch subtly. "Grandpa's gone now!"</p><p>Yuna's lips curled down in discontent as she stepped in front of the blond Jinchūriki, almost protectively. "Don't talk to Naruto like that. It's not his fault."</p><p>Tomoda raised both of his hands in an attempt to placate the upset duo in front of him. "Why don't we all just take a breather and think things through carefully."</p><p>Naruto looked at his teammate's back in surprise. He hadn't expected anyone to jump to his defense. The little boy sniffled, and his father Sakana sighed and placed a hand on top of his son's head. "I apologize, Shinobi-san. Taro doesn't mean any of that, it's just the grief talking."</p><p>Of course, that was understandable. Even now, the sadness in the man's eyes and posture were clearly evident. Regardless if the old war veteran wasn't all there, he was still their dear family member.</p><p>Mamoru had quickly been taken to the hospital and handed over to the medic nin, though the autopsy just confirmed what they already knew. There was no coming back from it, the rope had already cut off all of his blood supply going to his head and his windpipe had been crushed. Sakana had chosen to take the body with him, choosing to bury him in their family graveyard. And now here they stood, in front of their newly repaired fishing shack an hour after the body had been found.</p><p>"I thank you for finding my father." The fisherman said once his son had retreated back into their home. He kneeled in front of the whiskered boy who was still frowning, eyes lost and fixed on the ground. "Please don't blame yourself for this." Naruto looked up at the man. "Taro feels that way now, but those feelings will pass. He'll come around eventually."</p><p>Naruto nodded slowly but said nothing. Glancing down at his three Genin, Tomoda cleared his throat and nodded at Sakana. "My condolences, Tokita-san. We will be on our way now."</p><p>They made their way back to the village in silence. Moral was low, not that he was expecting much else. 'Anyway, it's better that they experience death here in the safety of their village than in some unknown territory surrounded by enemies.'</p><p>Everyone had been affected, though from all of them, Naruto seemed to have taken it the hardest. Not only from finding the body, but also due to his promise to Taro. It was easier on the Jōnin though. While what had happened was terrible, he was used to death. He'd been a Shinobi for 11 years after all. But his team? This was their first experience with it, and would definitely not be the last.</p><p>"So guys," He said, drawing the attention of the Genin. "What do you say we go grab a bite to eat?" It was a pathetic attempt to bring up everyone's mood, but anything would be better than this awful silence.</p><p>His three students stared up at him. No one replied, but the ever-stoic Sho nodded his head once, arms crossed over his body. He had been the first out of the three to recover from the shock.</p><p>"Sorry, I'll pass." Came the small voice of Naruto. The other members turned to him, a concerned expression on their faces as they watched the little blond stuff his hands in his pockets and walk off in another direction.</p><p>Sho opened his mouth to call out to him, but a hand landing on his shoulder made him stop short. The earth user turned towards his teacher; an eyebrow raised questioningly. Tomoda just shook his head with a grim expression on his face.</p><p>—</p><p>He hadn't managed to keep his promise.</p><p>Dull eyes stared at the ground below him. The normally lively atmosphere of the streets of Konoha seemed so dark and hollow now. The people chattering about, the children playing outside of shops, they had all turned into faceless grey figures.</p><p>Was it really his fault? Even if he hadn't made that promise, old man Mamoru still would have died. But making that promise had given Taro hope. It had given <em>him </em>hope.</p><p>But it was that same hope that now made him feel so shattered. That same hope that now made Taro feel betrayed, cheated. It was almost as if making that promise had made things infinitely worse.</p><p>What was the point of a promise if you couldn't even keep it? What was the point of it if it could be broken so easily?</p><p>He knew that promises weren't magical. If you made some impossible promise, then the only person you had to blame once it failed was yourself. He knew this, deep down. But making that promise had made him feel like he could do the impossible.</p><p>But he'd been forced to face the harsh reality. Promises could be broken. Promises <em>would</em> be broken. Just because he made one didn't mean that he could do the impossible. After all, he was no one. Just a weak little Genin.</p><p>"Ah, Naruto! Your usual order?" The boy looked up, noticing that his feet had carried him to Ichiraku's. Teuchi was grinning down at him with his usual smile that would have been contagious any other time. Naruto nodded and took a seat at the far-right end, grateful at Teuchi for not saying anything about his lack of enthusiasm.</p><p>What did this mean for his promise to Kyuubi? He'd given himself an impossible task during his haste to help the bijuu. He didn't know where the Shinigami mask was. He didn't know where to begin looking. He didn't even know what he would do once he found it. Was this another promise that he wouldn't be able to keep?</p><p>He barely noticed the bowl that was placed in front of him, the world around him having morphed into cacophony of sounds and motions he could barely register. The more he thought about this, the more it felt like he was slipping into a deep pit of despair.</p><p>What about all the other Bijuu? All the Other Jinchūriki? He'd made a promise to himself that he would find them, that he would free them!</p><p>"…!"</p><p>Learning their names, gaining the right to use Kyuubi's, meeting his father, uniting the world? Was that all just a faraway dream? An unobtainable ambition that had no hope to be achieved?</p><p>"H…y!"</p><p>What was he thinking? All of these goals…Meeting the Bijuu, learning Ninshu, bringing the nations together, there was no way he could do all of that.</p><p>He was a nobody.</p><p>"Hey!"</p><p>"Choji, let it go man."</p><p>"No way, he's letting his ramen go cold. Hey, are you gonna eat that?"</p><p>The blond snapped out of his reverie and, just like that, colour and motion returned to the real world. Blinking rapidly, he looked to his left to see two kids about his age a few seats across from his. One was a pudgy kid with brown hair and red swirls on his cheeks. Next to him, the one that was sitting two seats to his left, was a boy with a head shaped like a pineapple with his hair being tied in a spiky ponytail. Both boys were looking at him, though the bigger of the two kids seemed much more interested in him than the skinnier kid.</p><p>"…Huh?"</p><p>The Akimichi pointed his chopsticks at the bowl in front of him. "Your ramen. Are you gonna finish it?"</p><p>Naruto looked down at the ramen in front of him with unfocused eyes before turning back towards the other kid.</p><p>"No."</p><p>"Then can I?"</p><p>The Uzumaki said nothing but slid the bowl over to the pineapple haired kid regardless, who sighed and passed the bowl on to the other kid next to him.</p><p>"Yeah, free ramen! Thanks!"</p><p>Naruto didn't pay attention to the happenings next to him, once again becoming lost in his own thoughts and staring blankly at the counter top. The hungry kid didn't seem to even notice it, but the one sitting next to him definitely did.</p><p>—</p><p>What a strange guy. He and his best friend Choji had stopped by at Ichiraku's today, a ramen place that they went to sometimes for their delicious noodles. Now, Shikamaru wasn't as big of an eater as his friend was, but he definitely could enjoy good food whenever the opportunity presented itself.</p><p>However, not long after they started eating and Shikamaru was just finishing his bow, -with Choji finishing his third-, he noticed a blond boy with whisker marks make his way inside the stall like a zombie that had just risen from his grave.</p><p>He was definitely weird. Surprisingly, he was wearing a Konoha headband even though he appeared to be their age. Even weirder, he didn't look like he was noticing anything that was going on around him. It was like he was there, but not there at the same time. He barely moved when the bowl was served to him, and he barely moved when his friend had been calling out to him for an entire minute.</p><p>"Huh?"</p><p>Ah, so Choji had finally gotten his attention. But even though the blond could clearly hear him, it felt like talking to him was like attempting to talk to Ino about anything that wasn't related to Sasuke and flowers. He didn't seem to be a bad person though, since he did give his bowl over to Choji.</p><p>But even after that, he just reverted back to staring at nothing. Those eyes were unsettling. Those eyes didn't belong on a kid. Where had he seen those eyes before?</p><p>Oh, that's right. He'd seen them on his dad.</p><p>—</p><p>"Oi."</p><p>For the second time within the span of 5 minutes, Naruto's declining train of thought was interrupted once more by an annoying kid that just could not leave him alone. Glancing next to him, he saw the pineapple haired boy sending him a weird look, an eyebrow raised in mild curiosity at him.</p><p>"Are you okay?"</p><p>That took him by surprise. No one outside of his team and the older people he was close with ever cared about how he felt, and he could count them on his fingers and still have some left over. Maybe that boy wasn't as annoying as he'd initially thought.</p><p>"Yeah."</p><p>The lazy looking kid nodded and after a few awkward seconds with only the slurping sounds of Choji eating his ramen filling in the silence, decided to introduce himself.</p><p>"I'm Shikamaru."</p><p>Naruto sent him a confused stare, not sure whether or not to offer his name as well. Not that there was much to fear anyway, he was a Shinobi and could protect himself. Still, the years of scavenging, stealing and surviving had taught him to be cautious about everything.</p><p>"Naruto." He finally said with clear hesitation. The pineapple-haired nodded and turned back towards his friend, resuming his previous conversation with him. It was after a few more minutes that he addressed the blond Jinchūriki again.</p><p>"I've seen that look before." He said, surprising the Uzumaki. "I heard it's good to talk about it." A careless shrug. "You're welcome to talk if you want."</p><p>Shikamaru said no more and diverted his attention elsewhere, leaving Naruto to ponder that statement for a while. Was this really okay? He didn't know that kid. Hell, he didn't know if that kid would even understand his dilemma. The only other person he usually talked about his problems to was Kakashi.</p><p>But in the end, what did he have to lose?</p><p>It took him a while to muster up the courage to speak up again. During that time, Shikamaru's friend had finished his third bowl and had opened up a packet of barbeque chips. He seemed all too happy to just sit there and munch on them for a while.</p><p>"I…" He said slowly, making the lazy kid turn back to him. "I broke a promise."</p><p>"A promise?" Shikamaru placed his chin on his open hand and stared up at the ceiling in boredom. "Yeah, as a matter of fact, so did I. I said to my troublesome mother that I would fold the laundry tonight and I forgot to." He sighed and shrugged his shoulders. "I'm gonna be in a lot of trouble tonight. Man, that's troublesome."</p><p>Naruto stared at him in disbelief. That…Was not helpful to him. At all. Those two problems were on entirely different spectrums. Still, he found himself questioning him further against his own will.</p><p>"What do you do? When you can't keep a promise, I mean."</p><p>"Hmm." Brown eyes came back down to meet his. "I just try harder next time I guess."</p><p>Try harder? Was it really that simple?</p><p>No amount of 'trying harder' could have saved Mamoru, but that didn't mean that he couldn't try his best to keep the other promises that he'd made, right? It all seemed so daunting right now, but if he just gave up without even trying, what would that make him?</p><p>A coward?</p><p>Uzumaki Naruto was <em>not </em>a coward!</p><p>This revelation was like a slap in the face. Who knew that an academy student that looked even younger than him would have had the answer to this nightmare?</p><p>Naruto's lips twitched up slightly into a small smile as he scratched at his hair in frustration. "Heheh…Can't believe I've been acting so stupid, ya know…Thanks Shikamaru."</p><p>'Ya know?' The Nara decided to ignore that strange verbal tick and shrugged back in response. "Sure…" He watched as the weird whiskered boy rose from his feet, toss a few coins onto the counter and run off in some unknown direction.</p><p>Choji peeked from behind Shikamaru to look at the retreating blond, still noisily munching his chips. "What was that about Shikamaru? You never try harder."</p><p>Shikamaru turned towards his friend and placed his index finger against his lips. "Shhh."</p><hr/><p>"Hmm." Sho hummed with a raised eyebrow. "And you sure you're alright?"</p><p>"I'm telling you, yes, I'm fine now." It was quite funny to see his stoic teammate break out of character and fuss about his two juniors, as rare as that was. His team had been pretty worried about him when he'd left them three days ago. They'd all been affected, but Naruto had taken it the worst out of all three of them. Thankfully, they'd had the entire weekend to gather their thoughts and recuperate.</p><p>"Well, I'm glad that you're feeling better now, Naruto." Tomoda looked at his three students. "All of you. Death will be something that you have to deal with more and more as you progress through the ranks. I'm proud of you all for overcoming this."</p><p>A fleeting smile appeared on Yuna's face, though it disappeared so fast that the members of team 5 had to wonder if it had even been there in the first place. "Are we going to do another D-rank today, sensei?"</p><p>"Actually, no." Tomoda smiled at the three wide-eyed and hopeful looks that he received. "We've completed the required number of D-rank missions, so today we can take our first C-rank."</p><p>"FINALLY!" Many villagers nearby jumped in surprise at the blond's loud outburst. His teammates were also both rejoicing in their own little way, with Yuna's small smile and Sho's crossed arm and satisfied grunt. This <em>was</em> a pretty big moment; they had been doing these hellish D-ranks for nearly three months by now.</p><p>Tomoda chuckled as Naruto eagerly bounced around him. "What do you think the C-rank is gonna be sensei? Are we gonna protect a noble? Save a princess? Free a country!?" He knew it was a pretty naïve thought, but one could always dream…</p><p>"I very much doubt that, shrimp." Naruto bristled at the shot to his height. "C-ranks are usually basic errands and escorts missions, and no, only merchants and peasants. Nobles are A-rank and over."</p><p>"Man…" The Jinchūriki kicked at a pebble dejectedly. "Oh well, at least it won't be some lame chore."</p><p>—</p><p>A bead of sweat slowly rolled down the side of his forehead and over his whiskered cheek. Man, he forgot how scary the old man Hokage could be sometimes.</p><p>"Don't think that I didn't hear about the latest mission reports, team 5." Drawled out Hiruzen Sarutobi, a slight edge to his voice.</p><p>"We don't know what you're talking about old m—Uh, Hokage-sama."</p><p>The fire shadow stood up and began to pace around the room, reading off a scroll in his hands. "Disturbance of peace. Misconduct. Damaged properties. Attempted murder of a noble pet." Hiruzen stared up at the nervous Genin in front of him. "Have you anything to say for yourself?"</p><p>Naruto gulped nervously as his team remained quiet. The Hokage frowned and sat back down behind his desk. "You used explosives to scare poor Tora into a trap. That is highly dangerous and unacceptable."</p><p>"…"</p><p>"…"</p><p>"…"</p><p>"It was Naruto's idea."</p><p>"What!?" Said blond exclaimed.</p><p>"Agreed, entirely his fault."</p><p>Naruto deadpanned at his teammates. "Not cool guys."</p><p>"Naruto." Hiruzen levelled a warning stare towards him. "I know you are about to go on your first C-rank right now, but trust that you will be punished for this once you return."</p><p>The Uzumaki visibly deflated at that. "Yes Hokage-sama."</p><p>"Now." Hiruzen's frown suddenly vanished and was replaced by a kind smile as he looked at the other members of team Tomoda. "I believe you were about to pick your mission?"</p><p>—</p><p>"So what's the mission sensei?"</p><p>Tomoda chuckled and opened up his scroll. "Settle down, Naruto. We are going to Hacho village. A group of bandits have been pillaging and killing people, and as such merchants are too afraid to come to the village. Our job is to drive them away." He looked over towards his team. "Peacefully or forcefully."</p><p>So…This was finally happening? This would be the first time where he and his team's life would actually be on the line. This was the moment that they had all been training for.</p><p>"I'll give you half an hour to get ready. We will meet at the gates by 8:30am sharp. Don't be late."</p><p>Naruto turned towards his teammates with a nervous smile as their teacher disappeared in a puff of smoke. "Our first C-rank, this is exciting." He said making Sho nod in agreement.</p><p>"It will be good to get out of the village for once."</p><p>Yuna walked off towards her house and spoke over her shoulder." Make sure to pack properly. See you in half an hour."</p><p>—</p><p>"Quit fidgeting, Naruto."</p><p>"I can't help it sensei, we're finally on our first real mission! It's really exciting!"</p><p>Yuna couldn't help the smile that appeared on her face at her teammate's enthusiasm. "You're gonna waste all of your energy if you keep going on like that."</p><p>Currently, the quartet was travelling at ninja-speed through the thick trees that made up the forest around Konoha. Hacho village was on the borders of fire country, so unfortunately it would take them a little while to get there.</p><p>And it did take them a few hours. After travelling until noon, checking in at the village entrance and showing off all the legal documents needed, they were soon escorted to the leader of the village, an old man named Disonasu.</p><p>Disonasu was an elderly with yellow eyes, a grey beard and dark brown eyebrows, though it was hard to tell under the thick brown head cloth that fit with his jacket and pants. The old man had told them that the bandits had been camping out 2 kilometres away from the village towards the east and would probably be coming back soon. Hacho village, being comprised primarily of civilians, could do little to defend themselves against the bandits.</p><p>So now, team 5 was surveying the bandit camp a few distance away, hidden by the shrubbery of the trees they were perched upon. Even though they wanted to resolve the matter peacefully first, they wanted to know the layout of the place in case things went awry. The only entrance to the left seemed to be very poorly guarded, the only one there was a bandit that looked to have fallen asleep on a chair. The entire camp though wasn't very populated, there was at most, 4 or 5 people in the place.</p><p>"Before we go in, there's something I'd like to say to you all."</p><p>The tone in their teacher's voice made the three Genin pause and look at their sensei. Never before had they heard him sound as serious as he was being right now. He was usually a laid-back and easy-going guy.</p><p>"We are Shinobi of the hidden leaf. Remember where we come from. We are not barbarians and will not attack if the situation does not call for it." His eyes moved from one student to another. "With that being said, these bandits are scum and rarely listen to reason. Be prepared, chances are that you will have to take lives today."</p><p>Each student seemed to be a little shaken by this. Of course, they knew they would have to take a life eventually, but knowing one thing and actually acting upon it were vastly different. No amount of preparing and studying would change how they feel during the act.</p><p>"When you are fighting someone, and when you are about to take their life, you may feel sadness for them. Pity, empathy. You will freeze up and second-guess yourself. A single second can decide the outcome of an entire battle. Close your heart to it. On your journey as a Shinobi, you will face against all matter of ninja. Some will be cruel and sadistic, some will be kind hearted and will only be doing their jobs."</p><p>Taking a deep breath, he continued, closing his eyes as the Genin listened to him intently and hung onto his every word. "In the end, this is <em>our</em> job. And no matter who they are, if they stand against our village then they stand against you as well. Close your heart to their desperation. Close your heart to their suffering. Do not allow yourself to feel for them. They will not feel for you."</p><p>Tomoda stood up and dusted his pants, his three students slowly following his example. Looking back towards the bandit camp, Naruto took in a shaky breath of air and attempted to calm his nerves.</p><p>No going back now.</p><p>—</p><p>"Tanjo! A bunch o' ninja freaks are at the gate! They said they wanna talk to tha leader!"</p><p>"Huh!?" Tanjo, quickly stood up from his chair and rushed over to his window. "You fool, gather the others!"</p><p>Tanjo hurried over to the entrance of the camp, bloodshot eyes wide open in fury as the rest of his men gathered around behind him, each wielding their own personal choice of weapon.</p><p>"Go away ninja, we don't want you 'ere!" The thug leader yelled as he clutched his rusty sword tighter to his body. The men behind him yelled in agreement, and team 5 could smell the alcohol on their breath from where they were standing.</p><p>Tomoda stepped forward. "Now hold on, we just want to talk."</p><p>"We got nothin' to say to ya!"</p><p>The fire-user sighed. "We are under orders to have you evacuate from this area and return all of your stolen goods to the village. If you can do so, then you will be brought to trial with no death penalty. Refusal to comply will result in your imminent termination."</p><p>One of the thugs turned towards his friends. "He said imi-whuh?"</p><p>Tanjo grit his teeth and turned towards his henchmen. "Shut up you idiot!" The crazy leader faced team 5 once more and took a threatening step forward while swinging his sword around. "And you! You better leave now 'else there'll be trouble!"</p><p>Tomoda shook his head in pity and inclined his head to look at his team from the corner of his eye. "I will take the leader. You three, take the 4 others. They're only civilians so they will be easy pickings. Remember what I told you."</p><p>The three children looked at each other and nodded before each splitting off in their own direction. Tanjo yelled out incoherently in anger and turned towards the three kids that were now behind him only to be intercepted by Tomoda.</p><p>"You're facing me right now."</p><p>—</p><p>"Oi, who d'ya think yer are punk?"</p><p>Sho frowned and crossed his arms as he faced off against his two enemies. He was the only one of his teammates to have gotten two opponents instead of one, but that didn't really matter to him. It's not like they posed much of a threat anyway.</p><p>"I apologize. This is just business." The earth user seemed to vanish from the untrained eyes of the two bandits and reappeared in front of one of them. His arms became darker, and his fist descended brutally on the top of the right bandit's cranium, killing him instantly.</p><p>
  <em>Close your heart to their desperation.</em>
</p><p>"W-What the!?" The left bandit screamed in surprise and rushed at Sho, hoping to catch him off-guard while his back was turned. Unfortunately for him, he was used to fighting the blond menace in his team that was annoyingly fast and sneaky. Spinning around, Sho easily diverted the bat swing away from him and planted his fist in the guy's sternum, making him spit up blood. His eyes rolled up and he lost consciousness, his body limply falling to the floor.</p><p>Sho's hands began to shake slightly as he watched the two downed bodies, one dead and one unconscious. Closing his hands into fists and taking a deep breath, he retrieved a kunai from his pouch and moved forward to finish the job.</p><p>—</p><p>
  <em>Swish</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Swish</em>
</p><p>Yuna hopped away from yet another failed attempt to behead her. The bandit that she was facing off against was wearing a red bandana, missing half of his teeth and was clumsily swinging around a chipped naginata.</p><p>Putting some distance between her and her enemy, she interlaced her fingers into the horse sign. The man in front of him froze in place, eyes going wide. His breathing picked and he raised the naginata in his hands, slowly flipping it around and drove the pointed end into his own throat.</p><p>
  <em>Close your heart to their suffering.</em>
</p><p>The girl watched with an unreadable expression on her face as he came to and choked on his own blood, desperately grasping at his neck before he crumpled to the ground. Standing still for a few seconds, she walked over to the corpse and kneeled down next to it, closing his eyelids regretfully.</p><p>—</p><p>"Cheh, I get the shorty?" The thug complained, though the cruel grin on his face showed that he was not at all upset about it. Raising his mace, he let out a cry and charged forward.</p><p><em>Wind-style: Soaring fist. </em>Clenching his fist, Naruto thrust it forward and let a compact ball of air fly from his hand. The shot impacted into the thug's stomach, who cried out in surprise and was knocked onto his butt, his mace clattering on the ground behind him. The whiskered boy pulled out his tanto from its sheath and flashed forward through the use of a shunshin.</p><p>
  <em>His face, that's what drew his attention the most. Twisted in pain, forever stuck in this expression of horror. Something white poking out of his pocket drew his attention. He reached inside and pulled out a small slip of paper.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>It was a photograph. That same man, grinning broadly as a small girl hung off his arm. They both looked so happy…</em>
</p><p>
  <em>This man was a father.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>What would this girl think when he wouldn't be coming home?</em>
</p><p>The tip of his blade stopped short a centimeter from the man's forehead, and the thug fell back in surprise as he crawled away a few paces.</p><p>Did this guy have friends?</p><p>Did this guy have a family?</p><p>Who was he to take him away from them? Who was he to decide who lived and who died?</p><p>The thug trembled in fear as the blond slowly walked towards him. Getting onto his knees, he clasped his hands together as tears gathered in the corners of his eyes.</p><p>"P-Please! I was just following orders! Please spare me!"</p><p>Was he really expected to kill someone begging for their life?</p><p>Were Shinobi truly so rotten?</p><p>Naruto remained still, indecision swimming in his eyes. Looking upon the terrified man's face, he let his blade hang limply in his hand.</p><p>"What's your name?"</p><p>The thug looked confused but quickly answered. "O-Onugara."</p><p>Naruto frowned, debating on his next course of action. What should he do?</p><p>"If I let you go," Onugara perked up at that, hope shining on his face. "Do you promise to live honestly? And to not kill or pillage anymore?"</p><p>"Y-Yes, I promise! I swear it on my life!"</p><p>The blond sheathed his tanto and began walking back to his team. "Then get out of here before I change my mind."</p><p>Onugara scrambled to his feet and ran to the exit as if the devil was on his tail.</p><p>—</p><p>The three Genin met back near the center of the base. When they arrived, they saw Tomoda looking none the worse for wear and Tanjo on the ground with a stab wound on his neck. The fire user turned towards his students upon hearing their footsteps and smiled at them.</p><p>"How are you all feeling?"</p><p>His team remained silent, as was expected. He didn't really count on them being right as rain after doing the deeds. Honestly, he had been the same when his teacher made him go through the same thing. He could have handled all the bandits by himself with no problem and shield them from doing this, but he couldn't do that. It was a necessity that had to happen, and he wanted his students to go through it as early as possible. And they had.</p><p>All save for his youngest.</p><p>"Naruto." Naruto turned his head towards him in acknowledgement, though he couldn't bring himself to look him in the eyes. "You let your enemy go." The blond nodded. "Why?"</p><p>The boy nervously chewed on his lip. "I couldn't." He looked down and stared at the ground. "He was begging for mercy. He's still a human being sensei. And he promised to become a good person."</p><p>"Promises are hollow." Shot back Tomoda in a stern voice making the blond wince. "His life was on the line; he would have promised anything. What stops him from continuing his life as a criminal? What stops him from continuing to steal and murder?"</p><p>"We're Shinobi. <em>We</em> steal. We cheat, we lie, we murder! How are we any different?"</p><p>Tomoda frowned at his words. "How can you say something like that?" He shook his head in disappointment as his teammates watched on helplessly. "We live in a monarchy. We do all of those things to protect the people and the village we love. It's necessary. We get our hands dirty so that the ones back at home remain clean. These people? They fight for themselves." Tomoda turned his back on him. "The sooner you learn that, the better."</p><p><em>The sooner you learn that the better. </em>Kakashi had said those words to him before. Well, Dog had.</p><p>Why did the world have to be so damn complicated?</p><p>"Let's get going." He began to walk away and his students quickly caught up to him. "We have a long way back home and we won't make it back before nightfall. We will have to stop by Tonika village and check in an inn on the way there.</p><p>Thank god. None of the Genin wanted to camp out tonight.</p><p>—</p><p>
  <strong>
    <em>Bang bang bang!</em>
  </strong>
</p><p>"Sho! Hurry up with the damn shower!"</p><p>Tomoda nervously peeked over his newspaper as the sole female member of team 5 banged onto the bathroom door in a fit of anger. Naruto just kept nibbling at his sandwich, doing his best attempt to ignore the happenings a few meters away.</p><p>"I swear if you don't come out in the next 2 minutes then I'm busting that door down!"</p><p>"Is that really necessary?" Complained Sho from inside the bathroom.</p><p>"Man, women are scary…"</p><p>"What was that sensei?"</p><p>"Nothing!"</p><p>—</p><p>"Well, I'm heading out. Gonna look around the area a bit."</p><p>The hotel they'd rented out was fairly small, strictly serving to let them spend the night within a safe environment. The room comprised of two single beds and two futons, with a small sofa next to window. Attached to it was the tiniest kitchen you've ever seen, and a bathroom with no bathtub, much to Yuna's secret displeasure. The three kids had showered after today's event and were now all hanging out in their own way. Yuna was on the sofa, reading a thick looking book. Sho was next to his futon on the floor and was doing his push-ups, and Naruto was just lying on his bed, his hands behind his head and staring up at the ceiling.</p><p>All three Genin looked up at their sensei from their position in the bedroom/living room. Naruto raised an eyebrow but didn't question it.</p><p>"Okay sensei."</p><p>As Tomoda walked out of the inn, Naruto turned towards the other male member of his team. "Hey Sho, I've been meaning to ask you."</p><p>The earth user had finished his sets a few minutes ago and was now taking small sips from his water bottle. "What is it?"</p><p>"You know that weird earth technique you use? The one that makes you tougher?" The boy looked away at that, and Yuna glanced up from her book at the sudden choice of topic. "I've never seen anything like that before. Where'd you learn that?"</p><p>Sho didn't reply for a while making the blond frown and awkwardly scratch the back of his head.</p><p>"It's okay if you don't want to tell me, I was just cu-"</p><p>"No, no. It's fine. We're teammates, so I should tell you."</p><p>Naruto watched as his friend closed his eyes and took a deep breath, almost as if to mentally prepare himself. He'd never seen him like that before. Whatever it was, it was probably something pretty big.</p><p>"I learned it from my father." Sho opened his eyes and stared up at the ceiling. "My father was…Obsessed with this man called Kakuzu. So much so that he devoted his entire life to learn all about him. Kakuzu was supposedly alive during the time of the Shodaime. He fought the first Hokage and actually survived. That alone granted him the stature of S-rank. And my father, he was fascinated by his immortality."</p><p>"Immortality? Is that even possible?"</p><p>Sho turned towards Yuna and shrugged. "I don't know. I wouldn't be surprised. I was never interested in that type of stuff, so I didn't listen much. The only thing I remember is that he had a special power that let him stay alive."</p><p>He took another breath. "Anyway, my father would always look into info about Kakuzu. He knew everything about him; What techniques he used, what he did on a day to day basis, hell he even knew what type of food he preferred. But if there was one thing that everybody knew about him, it was his lust for money."</p><p>Naruto shared an apprehensive look with Yuna. Why did he have a feeling that this story didn't have a happy ending?</p><p>"Kakuzu would always take the highest bounties. And so, to be able to one day meet him, he began to commit crimes across the nations in an attempt to get a high price on his head. It almost felt like his humanity was leaving him. To him, there was only his goal."</p><p>Sho raised his hand and thoughtfully stared at the tanned complexity of his skin.</p><p>"I hail from Takigakure. Though when father began his descent into madness, mother took me with her and ran from the village. I was six at the time, and patrolling Konoha Shinobi eventually found us.</p><p>Two years later, father showed up again. He'd disguised himself as a merchant and somehow infiltrated the village and tracked us…Well, <em>me</em>, down. He managed to copy one of the jutsu that Kakuzu used. Kakuzu is…An expert when it comes to each element. He's even created his own destructive techniques. Though, his deadliest ability is the earth one which he uses to steal people's hearts."</p><p>Naruto blanched and unconsciously pulled the blanket further up his body.</p><p>"I've never heard of such a thing. What's it called?" Questioned Yuna from her spot. Sho shook his head in return.</p><p>I don't remember. Kakuzu had a second earth technique…The iron skin." The boy saw recognition on his teammate's faces and nodded in affirmation. "You already know what that does. Father figured out the mechanics behind that jutsu…But he had pretty pathetic chakra reserves, so he couldn't use it. I on the other hand, was given my mother's reserves. He is an earth user, but he couldn't use that jutsu. So, he taught it to me. And used me as a guinea pig to find the weaknesses of the move.</p><p>Eventually, when he'd learned enough, he brought me with him on a trip. I didn't know where we were going at the time, but it became clear after a few weeks. Kakuzu had found us. He was after my father's bounty.</p><p>Father didn't stand a chance. He did manage to surprise him and stab him in the heart, but Kakuzu didn't even seemed bothered by it. And then…"</p><p>"And then?" Prodded Yuna.</p><p>"And then, father was ripped apart piece by piece, and those things swallowed his heart."</p><p>After that, all was quiet within the small room. What could they possibly say to this story? That they were sorry?</p><p>"How did you survive?" Yuna asked suddenly. "If he's so strong, how are you still here?"</p><p>Sho stared down at his lap. "I…Don't think he even noticed me there. It's like it wasn't worth his time to even look at me." He clenched his fists tightly and shook his head. "I don't care about revenge. I just want to be able to forget him. But I can't, he's always there whenever I close my eyes."</p><p>It was strange to see Sho look so vulnerable. He'd always been so level-headed, in control of his emotions. But Naruto knew from experience that he wasn't looking for someone to pity him.</p><p>"Thanks for telling us, Sho." The blond said. "I know it must've not been easy."</p><p>The earth user just shrugged and brought his bottle up for more water. "What about you guys. What's your deal?"</p><p>The question startled the two. Sho <em>never</em> asked those types of question. How surprising, turns out opening up to people made you feel more comfortable around them.</p><p>"Not much to me, honestly." The girl muttered as she flipped a page of her book. "My mother died as a Shinobi after I was born. I still see my father sometimes, but pretty rarely. Now I live with my aunt."</p><p>Naruto sent her an inquisitive look. "Wait, why isn't your dad taking care of you?"</p><p>"Because he's a coward." She replied bluntly, making the Jinchūriki wince. "What about you, Fishcake?"</p><p>"Me?"</p><p>'My father is the fourth Hokage, my mother is a member of a dead clan, my godfather is one of the legendary Sannin and I hold the strongest tailed beast inside of my stomach, yet I still somehow lived by myself for 9 years.'</p><p>"Ah, nothing of interest."</p><hr/><p>"Jiraiya-kun, what a pleasant surprise. And I see you still haven't learned how to use doors."</p><p>The toad Sannin gave his teacher a grin as he closed the window behind him. "Doors are outdated, sensei. And that secretary of yours is too much of a hassle. This is much easier."</p><p>Hiruzen sighed and shook his head. "To what do I owe the pleasure, dear student of mine?"</p><p>Jiraiya sprawled himself on a chair opposite to his teacher's desk, a leg casually over the arm rest and his arms crossed across his chest. "You wouldn't believe the trip I've had. I'm telling you, travelling from Mizu to here is a hell of a trip."</p><p>"I'd thought you would have ridden on top of one those summons of yours?"</p><p>"Yeah, and my legs are killing me."</p><p>The Sandaime deadpanned at the Sannin and diverted his attention back to his paperwork. They'd been through this song and dance too many times before. If Jiraiya didn't want to talk yet, then nothing would make him talk. He'd talk when he was ready.</p><p>"I saw Minato's brat on my way here."</p><p>Well <em>that </em>was certainly worth his attention.</p><p>"You saw Naruto-kun? Did you speak with him?"</p><p>A rare frown was present on the Sannin's face. "Nah, he didn't see me. But I did see a headband on his forehead. A bit young, don't you think? What is he, ten?"</p><p>"Nine." Corrected the aged Kage. "And graduated when he was eight." Jiraiya's frown deepened. "Now don't look at me like that, it was his wish. Kakashi has taken him under his wing for the past few years and we've quickly concluded that Naruto-kun is a prodigy, much like how his father was at his age. And not only that, but he also seems to possess Kushina's unique ability."</p><p>The hermit's eyebrows raised in surprise. "The chains? That's a surprise." He rubbed his chin in thought and the room soon descended into silence once more. Though it was short lived, because Jiraiya's next words would shake the old man to his core.</p><p>"Orochimaru left the Akatsuki."</p><hr/><p>"Did you hear that?"</p><p>"Hear what?"</p><p>Tomoda brought a finger to his lips and motioned for them to stay put. They had left Tonika village about half an hour ago and would soon be stepping foot within Konoha territory.</p><p>Slowly stalking forward, the fire user kept his guard up and disappeared from the Genin's line of view through the bushes.</p><p>His eyes snapped to the ground, noticing something long slithering there. A vine? No, more like…</p><p>'Oh, it's just a snake.'</p><p>—</p><p>Where the hell was he?</p><p>A bead of sweat trailed down his temple in nervousness as he and his team remained on guard, warily looking around for potential danger.</p><p>"Shouldn't sensei be back by now?" Whispered Naruto to his teammates.</p><p>Sho frowned and tightened his grip around his kunai. "I'm not liking this. Let's go check it out."</p><p>The trio moved forward and cautiously followed after their sensei, stepping through the shrubbery and vines.</p><p>"Sensei!" The blond heard his female teammate yell out in panic and run on ahead, though he didn't know why from his position; he was at the back of the line. But it soon became clear once he'd caught up.</p><p>Tomoda was on the ground.</p><p>"W-What?" Naruto quickly joined his teammates as they gathered around their sensei and Sho placed his finger against Tomoda's neck, eyes wide and tanned skin an unhealthy pale colour.</p><p>"There's…There's no pulse." Checking the body over, the only thing he could see out of place were two puncture wounds on the nape of his neck.</p><p>"Kukukuku…What do we have here?"</p><hr/><p>"Sakura, honey! You're gonna be late for the academy!"</p><p>"Coming mom!"</p><p>She'd been standing in front of the mirror for nearly 10 minutes by now, trying in vain to arrange her long pink hair into neat bangs. Huffing in frustration, she gave up halfway and pushed them to the side, using a green clip to keep it out of her eyes.</p><p>Quickly glancing at her clock, she calculated that she had about 10 more minutes before class started. Opening her door and rushing downstairs, she waved to her parents and hurried outside, where her friend and rival was waiting for her, arms crossed and left foot impatiently tapping onto the ground.</p><p>"About time, forehead. Did you have trouble fitting your huge head through your dress?"</p><p>"Shut it Ino-pig!" She yelled back and walked faster in an attempt to get rid of her. Unfortunately, she easily caught up with a teasing smirk on her face.</p><p>"Did you see where Sasuke-kun was sitting yesterday? He was next to me! After all these years he's finally starting to notice me!"</p><p>"Yes Ino, you told me this ten times already yesterday. And the only reason he sat next to you was because it was the only seat left!"</p><p>"Hmph, you're just jealous."</p><p>Sakura growled, a tick mark appearing above her brow. "Jealous of what? Your pig-nose?"</p><p>The two girls butted heads as sparks flew between their eyes. They glared at each other for a few more seconds before separating and began walking side by side at a normal pace.</p><p>"Have you studied for the test today?" Ino asked her friend, who grinned at her in response.</p><p>"Of course, I'm gonna ace it and you'll be left in my dust once again."</p><p>"Grr, why you!"</p><hr/><p>"…o….dy… ..r….ct..d… ..n.. st…..ge ….ay…."</p><p>…Where was he?</p><p>"…eal c…nt…r…d ever… a….em…t. ….Thr…e….pr….ngs…"</p><p>He felt tired…So weak and tired…</p><p>"…Cu…r…nt se…..l w….. …ot be su….f..i…nt"</p><p>Couldn't he just go back to sleep? The real world was just…So tiring. And he was having such a pleasant dream…</p><p>"T…at is unf…n…te. N…w va…ri…ons w…l ne…. to be ex…l…..red.</p><p>Why was the real world so loud?</p><p>"His b…ain act…v…ty is un…su…l …ough con…idering his sta…us, it is n…t that o…t …f the or…in…ry."</p><p>All the noise around him was getting louder, and as he began to feel himself becoming more and more aware, the noise became more and more clear.</p><p>"What do you mean by unusual?"</p><p>"Take the chemical imbalance within his brain for instance. His dopamine and serotonin output are very low, but his cortisol levels are highly persistent, suggesting a stressful and unhappy life. It's a quite common behaviour within Jinchūrikis."</p><p>"Kukuku, interesting. This might make things much easier."</p><p>"Ngh…"</p><p>The two other occupants of the room turned their attention towards him, and Naruto attempted to open his eyes to view his surroundings, but his vision was too blurry and woozy to be able to perceive anything.</p><p>"Finally awake, Naruto-kun?" A sickly voice said a few paces away from him. Slow, measured steps could be heard approaching, echoing, growing closer and closer until it stopped right beside him. Struggling to open his eyes once more, he could hazily discern long silky black hair and pale skin.</p><p>A rush of jumbled memories suddenly came back to him. He'd seen that man before…</p><p>Where was his team?</p><p>
  <em>"There's…There's no pulse."</em>
</p><p>Tomoda-sensei is dead?</p><p>
  <em>"Kukukuku…What do we have here?"</em>
</p><p>This man had killed him.</p><p>
  <em>"Crap! Snap out of it!"</em>
</p><p>He could barely remember what had happened after that…</p><p>
  <em>"Naruto, grab my hand! Hurry!"</em>
</p><p>What had this man done to his team?</p><p>
  <em>"You irritating little pests…"</em>
</p><p>Was his team dead as well…?</p><p>No…He couldn't accept that!</p><p>'Kyuubi…Help me!'</p><p>He received no reply, but the familiar burning rush of the nine tail's chakra began to course through his pathways.</p><p>"Hm. His brain signals are going haywire again."</p><p>The creepy guy smirked and watched the bound struggling blond. "There's nothing to fear."</p><p>His eyes turned slitted and red and his whisker marks thickened. But before anything else could happen, seals scribbled all over his torso began to glow blue and forced the vile chakra back into the seal, making him scream in agony.</p><p>It hurt! It hurt like nothing he'd ever felt before. It hurt more than Kakashi's training sessions. It hurt more than Kyuubi's chakra. It hurt more than anything he thought could be possible.</p><p>Where was his team? Where was old man Hokage? Where was Kakashi?</p><p>"Hush now, Naruto-kun, everything is alright." The man chuckled again and leaned over to inspect the seals on his stomach.</p><p>'Somebody help me…'</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0011"><h2>11. Trapped</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"Do you know who I am, Naruto-kun?"</p><p>Two sets of cruel eyes stared down at him, each wearing the grin of the devil. The man with the glasses seemed to be the least threatening among the two, though even he held an unsettling aura that made his instincts scream at him to run away.</p><p>Not like he <em>could</em> run even if he wanted to, there was nothing he could do about it now.</p><p>He was trapped.</p><p>Despite that, he chose to show his defiance by remaining silent. His pride was still hurt after he and his team's humiliating defeat.</p><p>"Kukukuku." The pale man chuckled gleefully, a dark frightening melody that terrified him to his very core.</p><p>He and his team had fought this man. They'd given it everything they had. And still, he'd been toying with them the whole time like he wasn't even trying.</p><p>"Do you know why you're here?"</p><p>"…" The blond stared back at the man, face set in an angry frown. There was no way he would show weakness to someone like him, and there was no way he would play along with his games. He could see what the Sannin was doing. That man already knew the answer to all of those questions.</p><p>"You are here, because you are special." He answered for him. Smirking down at the seal drawn onto the center of the boy's stomach, he continued. "Such beautiful craftmanship. Truly a work of art." He placed a cold fingertip against the black lines and traced along them in fascination, making the Jinchūriki wince. "The Shinigami is quite the mysterious being, wouldn't you agree?"</p><p>"What are you talking about?"</p><p>Orochimaru removed his finger and walked over to a table nearby, his assistant scribbling down notes throughout the exchange.</p><p>"An entity that deals with souls. He's been around since the dawn of time and is considered godlike from every angle." He stopped at the table and picked up a small stack of tattered papers. "But you already know all about this, don't you Naruto-kun?"</p><p>Naruto's eye widened when he realized what the snake man was holding. Those were the pages from the book that he'd ripped out, the ones containing what little instructions remained. He'd been keeping them in his tool pouch for safe-keeping.</p><p>"I see you've been doing your own little research, how adorable." The man chuckled again and leaned against the desk, eyes casually trailing along the pages. "And I'd be willing to bet that you desperately wonder where the rest of this oh-so crucial information is."</p><p>Blue eyes narrowed rebelliously at the accusation. It was true; he'd spent many a night pondering where it could have possibly gone, but there was no way he was going to tell this guy anything.</p><p>Orochimaru smirked at the child's attempt at silent rebellion. "Kabuto." He said shortly. The bespectacled man next to him nodded.</p><p>"As you wish, Orochimaru-sama."</p><p>Orochimaru's gaze never left the Jinchūriki even as his assistant left the room to carry out the unsaid task. "How has your life been within Konoha, Naruto-kun?"</p><p>Naruto's eyes widened slightly, but refused to meet the man's.</p><p>"…"</p><p>"The populace of that pitiful village have always been so foolishly narrow-minded. It was the same when I was there. People labeled me for my looks, and rumors even began to come up about my precious little student once I took her under my wing. It is truly an unforgiving community."</p><p>Naruto's eyes remained stuck to the ceiling, though he couldn't help but carefully listen to each word being spoken.</p><p>"That case was true for the previous Jinchūriki as well. While not many knew of her identity, the ones in the know who weren't close to her treated her with scorn and contempt. I'm sure you know who I'm talking about, am I wrong?"</p><p>"…"</p><p>Orochimaru smirked at the blond's silence. Though he wasn't being very talkative, one could clearly see his internal struggle that was being displayed on his face.</p><p>"And I'm willing to bet that the case is no different for your situation. Everywhere you walk, people whisper. They give you the cold shoulder, or deny your very existence."</p><p>"…"</p><p>"It's suffocating. It's like being stuck in a nightmare that you cannot escape from. You try, and you try to prove yourself, to prove to them that you are worth something, that you are not the monster that they think you are. Dark thoughts plague your mind. Would they care if I were gone? Would it make them happy? What did I do wrong? Is my existence really just a mistake?"</p><p>The blond squeezed his eyes shut and turned his head to the side in defiance. The snake's words were beginning to hurt. He was right, he had asked himself this many times in the past. But now…</p><p>"And eventually, you begin contemplating things that your innocent mind would never have previously considered."</p><p>"No…"</p><p>"Kukukuku." The snake Sannin chuckled in amusement. "There is no need to lie to me Naruto-kun."</p><p>Naruto ground his teeth together in frustration and began to struggle against his thick leathery bindings once more.</p><p>"I can give you those answers you seek. I can give you the life you've always wanted, a life outside those village walls, a life without scorn. I can give you a purpose to live."</p><p>His struggles ceased at that, too taken aback by the proclamation.</p><p>How?</p><p>Was such a thing possible?</p><p>"Join me, Naruto-kun. Become my underling, and together, we can make that village pay for all that it's done to you, to us! I can give your life true meaning. You will be accepted; you will be loved by your peers." He walked forward so that the blond could see him and extended his hand towards him in a show of trust. He suddenly felt his bindings slacken and fall before slithering away into the darkness, revealing them to be nothing more than snakes.</p><p>"What do you say, Naruto-kun? Will you join my cause?"</p><p>The blond stared at the outstretched hand with fuzzy confusion. A new life? That…Did sound nice. If there was any truth in the snake-charmer's words, then he would never feel lonely again…He would never have to wake up in the morning, paranoid that he would be all by himself once more. He would have a reason to get up, and he'd go to bed at night feeling happy instead of being filled with anguish.</p><p>He could see his own hand extend forward against his own will to meet with the snake's own pale hand. But maybe he didn't have to fight it? Maybe this was the right choice? Maybe this was where he belonged?</p><p>
  <em>"Happy birthday Naruto!"</em>
</p><p>His hand froze in midair as a memory jolted his mind back to reality. No…This…This was wrong. This was all wrong.</p><p>
  <em>Sho's shaking hands darkened in color and the boy rushed at his enemy once more. Winding his arm back, he delivered the strongest punch he could muster at the man's cheek, forcing his head to tilt to the side.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"What…?" Sho muttered in surprise. The pale man barely look fazed. Even worse, his eyes were now angry and irritated and no longer held any playfulness.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"That technique…I do not care for it at all."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>The Sannin grabbed onto the boy's arm and easily snapped it in half with a twist of his hand. Sho's scream of pain sent chills down the spine of his teammates.</em>
</p><p>This man was…Evil.</p><p>He was lying to him. Again, with the lies! He had toyed with him and his teammates for his own amusement! There was no way that the monster in front of him could have any good intentions in his heart!</p><p>"…Go to hell."</p><p>Orochimaru remained silent for a few dreadful moments, but a smile slowly found its way upon his features, and that cold sinister chuckle echoed within the room once more.</p><p>"Oh well. It was worth a try." Before Naruto could react, the snakes from before shot back out of the darkness and tied around his wrists again, leaving him in the same previous predicament. "It would have been much easier, but such is the way of life." Although his words seemed remorseful, the smile on his face showed him that he wasn't really bothered by it.</p><p>The door opened again and in walked Kabuto carrying an item that he couldn't quite make out because of the poor lighting. The bespectacled man handed the object to his master, who proceeded to walk forward into the light.</p><p>It was a white mask of a demon set in an ugly smile with two big horns coming out of its head. He felt his blood grow cold as realization set in.</p><p>Orochimaru had the reaper mask.</p><p>"I've had this for quite a while, Naruto-kun." The Sannin said gleefully, enjoying the look of shock on the boy's face. "I took it along with the rest of the notes once I left the village. It's a shame that you refused my offer." He said as he placed the mask down on one of the tables within the room.</p><p>Naruto swallowed thickly as the man walked up to him again and sat on the chair next to the operation table that Naruto had been lying on.</p><p>"I apologize, I still haven't explained why you are here. You see, I used to be part of an organization that was…Well, let's say that they are not the friendliest of people. In fact, they are after people that are just like you." He said, surprising the blond. "And I'm still not quite sure what they plan on doing with them. This is where you come in. I want to see what makes your kind 'tick'."</p><p>A cold shiver ran down Naruto's spine at that. What was that man going to do to him? And more importantly, why was a group after the Jinchūrikis? Were they after the Bijuu within? A group with such ambitions had to be extremely powerful. Would he have to be on the lookout for them if he made it out of here alive?</p><p>"Well then, we've wasted enough time. Let us begin."</p><p>Naruto looked up as the man in front of him made a one-handed hand sign, and soon after, his eyelids became heavier and heavier, until al he saw was darkness.</p><hr/><p>
  <em>"What did you do to our Sensei!?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Naruto, calm down!"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>The blond grit his teeth in frustration and balled his hands into fists, barely registering the words of his female teammate.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Kukukuku. And what are three helpless little Genin doing out here all by themselves?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>An intense pressure crashed down onto the three younglings, making them freeze up in shock. Cold sweat broke out on the blond's forehead as he gulped nervously, but managed to take a slow calming breath. Wow, who knew being subjected to Kyuubi's ill intent would actually help him out in the long run.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>He glanced over to his teammates besides him and coughed slightly under the weight. "Crap, snap out of it, guys!"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Kukukuku…" The man in front of him chuckled once more, much to his displeasure and fixed his predatory eyes upon the trio.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Th-This is…Orochimaru. Missing nin from Konoha, one of the three Sannin!" Yuna said in a shaky voice.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Did you just say a Sannin?" Sho looked over to her with incredulity.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"It doesn't matter who he is! He killed sensei, I'm gonna make him regret it!"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Naruto, you need to think rationally right now!" Yuna yelled back at the blond. "We can't take this guy on; we need to get out of here!"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Naruto's angry eyes snapped towards Yunawith a ferocity that she had never seen before. "You're just gonna run away?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"How long are you planning on bickering between yourselves?" The pale man said in a mirthful tone. "It's quite rude to ignore your guest, you know?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Yuna's shaking increased as she took a step back in fear. "Wh-What should we do?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"…" The oldest of the team looked over at the new arrival and balled his hand into a fist. "There's no way we could outrun him even if we tried. Our only option is to fight."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>The three children looked at each other, uncertainty clear in their eyes. But after a moment, the three nodded in determination.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>They weren't going down without a fight.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Yuna placed her hands into the Ram seal as Sho and Naruto shot forward from their position besides her. A small wave of dizziness hit the snake Sannin but was easily shrugged off and canceled within a split second. He casually leaned away from Sho's punch and redirected Naruto away with a wave of his arm.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>'Dammit, it's not over yet!' The blond thought as a clone appeared next to him. Both took their swords out and began hacking and slashing at the human snake.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>'How droll.' Orochimaru thought distastefully as he expertly weaved in between the slashes, his body contorting out of the reach of the sharp edges. Sho came from above with an ax kick, his heel smashing into the top of the man's head, but before they could mentally celebrate, the body they'd struck turned into a brown color and dissolved into dirt.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Dammit!" Naruto and Sho remained back to back to each other, fully alert and eyes scanning the area around them. Yuna landed besides the three of them, her brow furrowed in a mixture of worry and frustration.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Anyone see him?" The girl asked as she kept her hands clasped in the horse seal, though the only reply she received was a shake of their head. "Keep your eyes open."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>The trio remained silent for a moment with baited breath, waiting for something, <strong>anything</strong> to happen. The silence and the anticipation was becoming suffocating to them.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Hm?" Naruto's ear twitched as they picked up a faint, low rumbling in the distance. "What's that noise?" His teammates frowned and focused their hearing. Naruto was right, there was sound becoming steadily louder and louder.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"That…That sounds like…" Yuna muttered in uncertainty. Though her eyes widened as birds desperately flew away and trees began to topple down in the distance. "RUN!"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Naruto yelped when Sho grabbed onto his collar and high-tailed it out of the small clearing, just as a serpent's giant maw burst through the trees in an attempt to devour them.</em>
</p><hr/><p>"Aaaaahhh!"</p><p>"Hm…Yet another failed prototype."</p><p>Orochimaru shook his head in disappointment as the cursed seal that he had placed near the boy's shoulder faded away once more. Jinchūriki really were quite tiresome. His seal worked in such a way that his impure chakra would taint the recipient's own, and inject a type of addicting enzyme that would force them to use more and more, and thus give him a greater control over them. But the boy's tenant seemed adamant to immediately flush out the putrid chakra and eat the seal away. The worst part was, he couldn't even add a fragment of his soul inside the seal, a key factor that went into making it nigh unbreakable; but the risks were just too great. Who knew what could happen if he attempted to place a part of himself within the same person that contained the mightiest of the bijuu?</p><p>Naruto panted in exhaustion as Kyuubi forcefully expelled the vile chakra. This has been a constant for the past two days. He'd pass out, and be woken up a bit later as the snake man attempted to brand him with his curse mark, though all that was for naught as none of them even seemed to work. After each failed experiment, he would be forced back into a deep slumber until the next one.</p><p>The process was very similar to how a human would catch a cold. A virus would try to infiltrate the host's body, and the antibodies would fight it. People seemed to misinterpret a "cold" as the virus's doing, but it was actually their own body's attempt to flush it out that caused the fevers and the sickness. Those were necessary to make an inhospitable environment for the virus.</p><p>Much like how the antibodies fought the virus, Kyuubi's chakra fought the Sannin's chakra, resulting in the immense pain that he was constantly feeling hours after hours. Sore muscles, high fever, violent shaking, strong bouts of sickness, all so similar to a regular cold, yet so much worse.</p><p>"Kabuto, we are going to have to take more drastic measures."</p><p>"Yes, Orochimaru-sama."</p><p>Before the blond could hear anymore, his hearing began to grow fuzzy and his eyelids were forced shut.</p><hr/><p>Smoke coming from a wooden pipe gently wafted through the air as the Sandaime's heavy frown deepened even further while he listened to his subordinate's debriefing of the new situation. Once again, it seemed that the mistakes of his past seemed to be coming back to haunt him.</p><p>"We've received confirmation from Disonasu that team 5 has checked in at Hacho village. The trail led us to a bandit camp that had already been cleared out, and we managed to track it to an inn. From there, they followed a simple trail back towards the borders of the land of fire. However, it ended prematurely 30 kilometers North East of the village."</p><p>"And you're sure that it just disappeared?"</p><p>The Chunin turned towards the toad sage that had been pacing back and forth this whole time, listening to his debriefing along with his leader. "Yes sir. It just seemed to vanish into thin air. There were clear signs of a battle, along with a heavy reptilian scent. The body of Jōnin Wada Tomoda has been recovered a few paces away from the battle site."</p><p>Silence prevailed within the office as the two elders digested that information. Hiruzen nodded towards the Inuzuka and gave a wave of his hand to signal his hidden ANBU. "You may all leave."</p><p>Once the room was cleared, the Sannin turned towards the third, an angry look on his face. "This is absurd! How could you have let him out of the village so early!?"</p><p>Hiruzen sighed and rubbed his tired eyes. "Believe me Jiraiya, I-"</p><p>"You what, sensei!?" Jiraiya slammed his hands on the mahogany table. "You throw him in an orphanage, you let him live on the street for months, you make him live alone," Jiraiya paced around the room once again. "You allow him to become a ninja when he's clearly too young, you give him a sensei that isn't even strong enough to protect him!" He faced the old man and leveled furious eyes upon him. "And now, Orochimaru, <em>another</em> one of your mistakes managed to get his hands on him, and who knows what he's doing to him?! You are spitting on Minato's memory!"</p><p>Hiruzen stood up from his chair as the pressure within the room increased. "How dare you!?"</p><p>The two glared at each other for a few more moments before Hiruzen sighed and sat back down on his chair. "Now is not the time for this, Jiraiya. If it is indeed Orochimaru, then we must proceed with haste."</p><p>Jiraiya scoffed and turned towards the door. "I'm going to the fighting site. And I hope you get your act together. For once, stop acting like a Hokage, and start acting like a human being." He said before slamming the door shut. Hiruzen sighed tiredly and sifted through his paperwork to make the preparations.</p><p>It barely took him a minute to arrive near the village gates, where he flashed through handsigns and summoned a big purple toad wielding a shield and a sasumata.</p><p>"Ah, Jiraiya. To what do I owe the pleasure."</p><p>"Gamaken, I need you to take me 30 kilometers north east of here, full speed."</p><p>"Ah, I will do my best. Though forgive me, I am quite clumsy."</p><p>"Jiraiya-sama!"</p><p>The toad hermit turned to see a masked Jōnin land besides him. "Huh? Is that you Kakashi? What do you want, I'm in a hurry."</p><p>"I know where you're headed, I heard the report from a Jonin near the tower. Please, let me come with you."</p><p>Jiraiya raised an eyebrow but shook his head. "No, you'll only be in the way."</p><p>Kakashi clenched his fist in frustration before slowly lowering himself onto his knees and placing his hands out in front of him, much to the Sannin's shock. "Please allow me to join you. I promise you that I will pull my weight. I am among the best when it comes to fighting and tracking."</p><p>Jiraiya watched the Jonin in front of him with his mouth slightly agape with surprise. He'd always pegged him to be a proud man who would never bow to anyone save for his leader. "What the hell's gotten into you? Last time I saw you, you looked about ready to give up on everything."</p><p>Kakashi remained motionless, forehead still pressed to the ground. "Things have changed. Naruto is important to me, and I would let myself die before I let anything happen to him."</p><p>The hermit's eyebrows creased as Gamaken watched on silently. "Aren't you going a bit too far with this?" When he received no reply, he clicked his tongue and awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck. " Tsk, fine just hurry up and get on. My title can give you clearance to leave the village for now."</p><p>Kakashi finally raised his head and got back onto his feet, nodding towards the sage in appreciation. "You won't regret it."</p><p>"Yeah yeah whatever, just hurry it up."</p><hr/><p>'…2561…2562…2563…2564…2565…2566…2567…'</p><p>Those numbers…</p><p>…2569…2570…2571…2572…2573…2574…2575…</p><p>They seemed to be the only thing keeping him grounded to his humanity.</p><p>'…2578…2579…2580…2581…2582…2583…2584…"</p><p>It's been nearly a week. At least, that's what his internal clock was making him believe. Who knew how long it'd actually been. There was no sunlight in this room, nor was there any clocks. There was only the chair that he was tied to and a small table.</p><p>'…2589…2590…2591…2592…2593…2594…2595…"</p><p>Every time he'd wake up, it would be to a new painful experiment. And every day, it seemed they only became worse and worse.</p><p>And every time, they would fail.</p><p>"…2601…2602…2603…2604…2605…2606…2607…"</p><p>Even though he couldn't feel the fox's connection anymore, it felt like he was still fighting in there. Whatever the snake man was trying to do, Kyuubi wasn't having any of it and was countering everything. Unfortunately, this meant that Naruto's body had to act as the war-torn battlefield.</p><p>He would then proceed to fall unconscious. This had been his life for the past few days. Wake up, live through the torture, pass out, then wait for the next one. A nasogastric tube had been inserted inside his nose so he wouldn't starve or die of thirst. Then slowly, it had felt like his reality was slowly slipping away.</p><p>And so, he counted.</p><p>First he counted the tiles on the floor, then the tiles on the ceiling and walls. And once he'd counted them to the point he couldn't even bear to look at them anymore, he counted in his head. Mostly he'd just count up starting from zero, but sometimes he'd mix it up a bit and count in additions and multiplications. The times where he felt extra adventurous, he'd do the same but in decreasing orders.</p><p>It was his only salvation.</p><p>"GAAAH! HELP ME!"</p><p>He squeezed his eyes shut as the woeful echoes of another tortured patient resounded from another room further down the corridor.</p><p>This was the worst part.</p><p>Every time he heard another person cry out in pain, he could feel his heart and his sanity break a little more.</p><p>It was clear that he wasn't the only one subjected to the cruel treatment.</p><p>"SOMEBODY HELP ME!"</p><p>But he could do nothing about it.</p><p>"…I'm sorry…"</p><p>'….1…2…3…4…5…6…7…8…9…10…11…'</p><hr/><p>
  <em>"Ugh…"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Blond hair popped out from beneath the fallen tree that had nearly squashed him to death, followed by a large intake of air. That was way too close. If Sho hadn't pulled him away in time, he'd probably be snake food by now.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>He coughed up some dust that had gotten caught in his airways and looked to the side at his two teammates that had already managed to get back to their feet. He shook his head and forced himself into a standing position.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Sho's shaking hands darkened in color and the boy rushed at his enemy once more. Winding his arm back, he delivered the strongest punch he could muster at the man's cheek, forcing his head to tilt to the side.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"What…?" Sho muttered in surprise. The pale man barely look fazed. Even worse, his eyes were now angry and irritated and no longer held any playfulness.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"That technique…I do not care for it at all."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>The Sannin grabbed onto the boy's arm and easily snapped it in half with a twist of his hand. Sho's scream of pain sent chills down the spine of his teammates.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Sho!" Yuna yelled in panic as the Sannin carelessly dropped the Genin from his spot up on the trees, though he was quickly caught by the girl. Sho groaned at the impact but tried his best to stifle his pain through gritted teeth.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Ugh, dammit…" Naruto growled as frustration began to grow from within his stomach. His eyes turned into slits as he could feel newfound power growing from within. Launching himself forward, he threw a claw swipe at the pale man who brought his arm to block it, but was surprised at the newfound strength behind it.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Kukukuku, so you are finally revealing your true colors then? …You irritating little pest..."</em>
</p><hr/><p>"It seems this laboratory's location has been compromised."</p><p>The blond Jinchūriki twitched slightly at that little piece of knowledge. Kabuto, the man with the glasses turned towards his leader in surprise.</p><p>"How do you mean, my lord?"</p><p>Orochimaru hummed irritably as he began to walk towards the door, his servant falling into step behind him. "The scouts have recorded some unusual readings skulking about in the area, and if my feeling is right, then this will prove to be quite troublesome. Continue to ensure that the daily tasks are met with the inmates, I will return shortly."</p><p>"As you wish, Orochimaru-sama."</p><p>The door slammed shut behind the two, leaving the whiskered boy alone within it once more. Though instead of feeling scared and hopeless like usual, he felt the faintest embers of hope blooming in his chest.</p><p>Could it be? Could these 'unusual readings', as he said, be someone coming to his rescue? He found it hard to believe, but a small persistent part of his mind couldn't help but contemplate on that chain of thought.</p><p>But all that didn't matter. Orochimaru was momentarily leaving the premises. Of course, he'd tried escaping his bonds before, but for some god-forsaken reason, they weren't made of ropes or wire, but were actual thick leathery snakes that refused to budge no matter how much he tried to force himself out of them. How were these things even still alive? It's not like he saw anyone coming around every day to feed them.</p><p>He'd give up after a few minutes, the hissing of the snakes and the idea of getting caught by that man making him nervous enough to cast the idea out the window for a few days. But today…</p><p>This was his one chance. He'd only dipped his toes in last time in his attempts at escaping, but now he just no longer had a choice. He <em>needed</em> to escape, and if he didn't now, then he had a feeling that he would never be able to and would remain trapped here for eternity.</p><p>He once again attempted to pull his hands free from the tight bonds, twisting and tugging them at random in an effort to release them. The snakes behind him hissed in warning, but he decided to ignore them for now. Damn! They weren't budging! The seals on his body had sapped him of his chakra, not to mention his only source of nutrients for the past near-three weeks have been coming from a tube going up his nose. His frame had become pale and skinnier and rendered him even weaker than normal.</p><p>But he wasn't about to give up. He refused to give up now. Maybe if he couldn't overpower the snakes, he could force them away in some other way?</p><p>His hands were tied at a weird angle; over his head and behind his neck, most likely done so that he wouldn't be able to reach them at all. But he had to try. He attempted to lean back and reach the bindings with his mouth, but his body just wouldn't bend that way.</p><p>…He had no choice.</p><p>The snakes hissed more and threateningly raised their body as he tried to force his head between the space of his shoulder and his wrist. He cringed when he felt the muscles in his arm cramp up in protest at the weird angle, but he pushed on. Harder and harder, he kept pushing his head further in.</p><p>No, it was no use. The joints of his shoulders were physically stopping him now. He couldn't progress forward anymore. But he was so close!</p><p>
  <strong>
    <em>Clack.</em>
  </strong>
</p><p>He bit his lip and stifled his cry of pain when he felt his shoulder joint snap under the pressure as pain flared up all throughout his arm. Just one more centimeter and he could reach it!</p><p>
  <strong>
    <em>Crrrack.</em>
  </strong>
</p><p>His deltoid and trapezius ripped, and it took every fibers of his being not to scream out in agony. God, this sucked. But compared to the constant pain he'd been in these past few weeks; he could easily manage this.</p><p>There! He sunk his teeth into the thick body of the first snake, who hissed loudly and shot forward, its long fangs burrying into his cheek and pumping him full with venom. It hurt, god it hurt like crazy, but he was too far gone to give up. He bit harder and yanked his head to the side, ripping a chunk of its skin off. The snake finally let go of his cheek and fell to the floor, hissing in pain and slithering into the darkness.</p><p>He did the same to the second snake and bit onto its tail as hard as he could using his molars. The brown snake shrieked and coiled around his neck in retaliation; but with this movement, Naruto could feel the snake's grip around his wrists slacken slightly. That was all he needed.</p><p>He mustered up all of his strength and yanked his hands free from the loop that made up the snake's body. Frantically feeling around the tray sitting on the table next to him, he grabbed the first thing his hand landed upon and stabbed it deep into the snake's head.</p><p>The reptile fell dead instantly when the small sharp scissors pierced his brain. Naruto collapsed on the ground, panting madly and ripped the tube out of his nose as he attempted to catch his breath again. But he wasn't looking too good now; not only had his muscles atrophied from underuse, he now sported a broken shoulder and a cheek full of venom that was quickly spreading to his neck.</p><p>"K-Kyuubi, are you there?" He thought weakly as he tried to force himself up. His body was shaking so much, it felt similar to how your arm felt like after it fell asleep for a few minutes, only ten times worse and all over his body. He propped himself against the bed and looked down at the multitude of seals written across his stomach.</p><p>He was no expert in seals, but he knew there existed two types. The ones that melded with your skin, and the ones that were only active as long as they were still drawn on. The seal that held the nine tails inside of him disappeared when nothing was causing it to show up, so dragging a line across would do nothing to disrupt it. But those ones that sat on top, he hadn't seen them disappear at all. He could spot a suppressant seal, a restraining seal and a disruption seal among others.</p><p>He desperately tried to rub his palm against the ink in an effort to rub them off when he felt his mind begin to slip again from the snake's toxins. No, no he couldn't go out like that!</p><p>In a last-ditch attempt, he pulled the scissors out of the snake's body and cut a gash across his own stomach, making a trench across the suppression seal.</p><p>Red chakra suddenly exploded from his body as the aura of the nine tails finally came into contact with the outside world after all this time. This was much more powerful than it usually was, thought the blond in a strange detached manner, So much more potent, so much angrier<em>.</em> It seemed the nine tails hadn't appreciated being closed off for so long.</p><p>Before he could even begin to think about fighting for control, he felt the chakra force him into a standing position. His shoulder snapped back into place, the poison was forcefully expelled out of his body and the puncture marks closed, showing unblemished skin underneath. His eyes turned into a deep red with his nails and fangs elongating. Even more strange, his whiskers thickened and his lips turned into an animalistic shade of black. The vicious chakra bubbled up around him and formed into a cloak, forming two long ears sitting on top of his head and two even longer tails angrily waving around behind him.</p><p>The blond howled and clutched his head in pain, his sharp nails cutting into the skin from the action. The door suddenly burst open revealing an alarmed looking Kabuto, though his surprise didn't last for long as twin chakra scalpels appeared on both of his hands. The bespectacled man rushed at the Jinchūriki to incapacitate him, but failed to react in time when the younger boy launched forward faster than he could react and sent a wild claw strike that ripped into the side of his face. A loud boom resounded from the impact as the medic-nin was sent flying through several walls, though the crazed blond paid it no mind and began sprinting through the corridors as a third chakra tail sprouted from his tailbone.</p><p>He gave a feral snarl when he was ambushed by more people, probably servants of that treacherous snake. It didn't matter to him though; all he could see right now were monsters standing in the way of his freedom. He raised his arm high up in the air as the orange cloak extended and a giant clawed hand crashed down and sent them all flying away. Two more tried to run up behind him, but a gleaming golden chain spearing through their chest stopped them dead in their tracks.</p><p>Naruto clutched his head in pain once more as his skin was beginning to peel off. He should be stopping this. He <em>needed </em>to stop this, but the gloss of blood was becoming so tantalizing and it was all he could do to not succumb completely to his desires. A fourth tail was beginning to form behind him, and the burning chakra became even more painful, but he forced it back, the new tail retracting into the cloak.</p><p>He continued his mad dash through the underground maze, now running on his hands and feet like a wild dog. Red eyes glared hatefully at those same walls with the twisty patterns that he had become so accustomed to seeing these past three weeks. No more. He was sick of them. Two more giant claws made of chakra materialized behind him and made short work of them. Terrified screams resounded through the corridors as rooms were demolished and prison cells were ripped apart, but he ignored them and kept running to the exit. He had to get out of here, he couldn't stand this place anymore! Any longer and he had a feeling that his sanity would lose him!</p><p>He crashed through one more wall and finally was able to see the clear blue sky. But something was wrong, he was still surrounded by walls all around him! This wasn't the exit, it looked more like a courtyard. But still, the fresh air and sunlight soothed his mind and snapped him back to reality. Cringing and kneeling on the ground, the noxious red chakra retreated back into his body and left behind a panting whiskered boy.</p><p>"O-Oh god…" Reality came crashing down on the poor blond. He…He'd killed those people back there! Not only the ones working for Orochimaru, but also the innocent ones that had been caught in the crossfire! The ones that had been imprisoned just like he had been!</p><p>"Wh-What did you do…You idiot!" He desperately gripped his hair and shook his head in denial, hoping the entire thing would just <em>go away</em> if he willed it hard enough. But alas, the nightmare wasn't gonna go away so easily.</p><p>"Why…"</p><p>Angrily slamming his head against the ground, his screams of frustration cut through the deafening silence of the outside world, the wind being his only witness during this vulnerable moment until all that remained were hopeless sobs of sorrow.</p><p>Naruto laid on the cold ground for several minutes, panting and sniffling as he mourned the unfortunate souls that had shared his pain. He couldn't stay forever though, as much as he wanted to just lay there and sleep for the rest of his days. The soft wind and sunshine were starting to make his eyelids heavy.</p><p>'I have to get out of here…'</p><p>Slowly pushing himself into a standing position, he clutched his other sleeve and brought his arm closer to his body as a particularly cold gust of wind chilled him to his bones. There was only one way forward, so all he could do now was follow it.</p><p>He trailed the same path for several more minutes, Strangely, but thankfully not running into any more workers. This facility was surprisingly barren for its size, it was strange. 'A lot of empty rooms everywhere.' He remarked idly.</p><p>He stopped abruptly when the sound of laboured breathing and muttering hit his sensitive ears. He turned his attention to another door, though this one didn't seem empty like the rest. He slowly walked towards it and pushed the door open. It looked like a small spartan bedroom. Four walls, and a single bed with a lightbulb hanging from the ceiling. No desk, no nightstand, no chair, no window. This looked like a prison cell more than anything now that he thought about it.</p><p>Though what drew his attention was the crouching figure in the middle of the room, with their backs turned to him, making him unable to see who was there. The person was muttering to themselves and had a hand placed firmly on the nape of their neck as if to push away phantom pains.</p><p>He…He knew this person. The clothes were a bleak beige colour, but that shade of skin, that hair, that voice he could hear coming from them. It was definitely familiar…That's right…It was…</p><p>"Sho?"</p>
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